Mass Effect: Maelstrom Siblings
by Leaf Ranger
Summary: When faced with protecting an entire galactic community, it's always good to have friends and squad-mates at your side. But it's even better when you've got your brother with you as well. Get ready galaxy, because here come Alicia and Naruto Shepard, the Maelstrom Siblings. Rated M for swearing, gore, and implied sexual situations.
1. A Child From the Past

**So like I said in Shinobi's Creed, my mind has been bombarded and assaulted with ideas. So I thought I'd start this up, to relieve myself of some of the ideas. Get them down and out, rather than trying to contain them in my head.**

 **Before we start though, I'd like to clarify something right now, so this way, people don't read the chapter and yell at me in the reviews. This falls under the Mass EffectxNaruto category of crossovers. However, this will almost entirely be Mass Effect, with any Naruto references being Mass Effect versions of Naruto characters. My reason for this is I strove to find a realistic way of combining the Naruto and Mass Effect universes…and my mind came up blank. I've only seen one fanfic that has done this successfully, at least in my opinion, and I did not want to go stealing another person's idea like that. So instead, I went with this route instead. Guess we'll see if it's any good, won't we?**

 **I hope people will enjoy this fanfic, and if not…well I hope it wasn't too bad then.**

 **For those of you NOT familiar with Mass Effect, I suggest you try and find a copy of this trio of games, and try them out. These games are incredible. I'm almost addicted to them.**

 **And lastly, I'd like to dedicate this fanfic to May-Princess of Hoenn, who has been an incredibly good friend, who not only got me interested in Mass Effect, but also helped me get the games to play. And I'd like to dedicate this fanfic as well to Shifty Quarian. You sly sneaky alien you. I WILL FIND YOU!**

 **Anyways, about time for me to get going, isn't it? So, here we go.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, StarFox Adventures, or Mass Effect. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Rareware, and BioWare respectively. This is a nonprofit fanfic written for mine and the reader's enjoyment.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **A Child from the Past**

 _In the year 2148 Common Era, or CE, humanity discovered that it was not alone in the universe. Miners on Mars, digging for the rare mineral known as Element Zero, or Eezo, made a startling discovery at the southern pole of the red planet. Subterranean ruins of an ancient alien research station were unearthed, revealing incontrovertible proof that humanity, at one point, was not the only sentient life in the galaxy. Scientists and archeologists swarming the ruins soon were able to uncover data from them, revealing that the race that created this ancient research station were known as Protheans. The data found jumpstarted humanities technology, and led to the discovery of a means for the human race to expand beyond the borders of their own solar system, and begin to colonize the stars. Within a year of the Archive's discovery, the Systems Alliance, a political and military force charged with the expansion and protection of humanity, was formed. At the same time, Pluto's moon, Charon, was discovered to actually be an ice encased machine that would be capable of propelling ships thousands of light years in mere seconds. The Prothean Archive revealed this device was known as a Mass Relay, and was part of a network that spread across the galaxy._

 _Over the course of the next eight years, humanity began expanding out from its home system, colonizing worlds, and setting up mining operations on others, utilizing their new found wealth to fuel the growth of humanity and the Alliance. Exploration teams were tasked with activating any Mass Relays they came across, to help further human expansion. All the while the governments on Earth, wary of potential dangers, funded the growth of the Alliance Navy, the military arm of the Systems Alliance._

 _In 2157 CE, humanity finally discovered another sentient race in the cosmos. A scout flotilla, in the midst of activating a dormant Mass Relay, was attacked by several alien ships that gave no warning. The ensuing battle led to the destruction of all but one of the Alliance ships, which limped back to the colony of Shanxi. Not that long afterwards, the aliens followed the surviving ship, and finding the colony, promptly invaded it, routing the garrison and occupying the colony. This race, known as the Turians, caught the governments of Earth off guard. As each of them squabbled over how to react, the Systems Alliance stepped in. A month after the occupation of Shanxi, the Alliance Second Fleet arrived, catching the Turian occupiers completely off guard and driving them entirely from the colony world. The Turians prepared to respond with a full out invasion of Alliance space, only to draw the attention of other powers._

 _The Systems Alliance was soon made aware that the Turians were only a part of a galactic community that had already been in existence for almost three thousand years. A galactic community governed by a triumvirate government known as the Council, made up of the Turians, as well as two other races: the Asari and the Salarians. With the threat of war averted, The Council and the Alliance opened negotiations, and the Systems Alliance became part of the galactic community._

 _In the years since then, humanity has struggled to find its own place amongst the various races that make up the galactic community of the Milky Way. The initial awe and respect of the Council Races and their affiliates slowly gaves way to frustration at living under the laws and governances of the Council, and dealing with the rising tensions with the Batarians, an aggressive race that sought to colonize many of the planets near Systems Alliance Space, planets that the Alliance also wished to colonize. Yet, as the year 2164 draws towards a close, an event is about to occur which will again draw the eyes of the galactic community to its newest member._

 ** _Planet Therum, 2164_**

A Batarian pirate panted as he ran through the hallways of what had been a Prothean lab of some sort in the distant past, some fifty thousand years ago. The lab had been built underground, with only a single entrance that had been caved in, until a marauding band of Batarian and Turian pirates found it and cleared it out. Their captain figured that it would be the perfect place to hide out between raids. It was underground, and the fact that they were Prothean ruins would prevent anyone from launching an orbital bombardment on them.

Two days ago, they had raided a merchant ship belonging to the humans near the Asgard System of the Exodus star cluster. They had barely left the now drifting merchant ship when a System Alliance Frigate, the SSV Falkirk, had appeared and given chase, following them to Therum in the Artemis Tau cluster. They thought they had managed to give the Falkirk the slip and arrive at their base undetected.

However, not even twenty minutes ago, the entranceway to the base had been blown open, and Alliance Marines had poured into the base, killing the majority of the twenty-odd pirate crew, and capturing the rest. This Batarian was the last of his crew, seeking to hide deeper in the ruins.

Panting, he slammed the holographic control of a door, feeling fear clutch his heart while sweat slipped into the top pair of his four eyes. He cursed as the holographic control program reacted slowly, the door remaining closed as the program accessed the system to open the door. When it finally opened, he prepared to rush through, only to let out a scream of pain as he felt a hammer blow in his left shoulder, and heard the loud bark of an assault rifle. He fell to the ground, clutching his wounded shoulder as black blood seeped out between his fingers and onto the floor. Whimpering and panting, he tried to crawl into the room, only to be stopped by an armored boot on his back. "That's far enough," a stern female voice said above him, the voice sounding slightly mechanical due likely to the voice being spoken through the communications of a sealed helmet.

Staff Lieutenant Hannah Shepard, third in command of the SSV Falkirk and commander in charge of ground operations, moved off the Batarian's back, her M-7 Lancer assault rifle trained on him as two of her marines grabbed him and dragged him to his feet. She nodded to them, seeing them securing him. "Corporal Richter, Private Hampton. Get him with the other prisoners," she said, as the two marines headed off with their prisoner. As they did so, Hannah let out a quiet sigh, wiping some soot from her helmet's visor with one armored glove.

Behind her was 1st Lieutenant Ramirez, the sniper of the Falkirk's Marine complement, and Corporal Kyoto, the marine tech specialist of the platoon. The rest of the ten marines who had come down to the ruins were currently overseeing the captured and wounded pirates, leaving these three to finish sweeping the base.

Hannah let out another sigh as she raised her assault rifle up, the adrenaline from the earlier firefights being replaced now with fatigue. "Alright, let's sweep this last room for any intel or stragglers, then get back to the others," she said, as they approached the room the Batarian had been trying to enter.

As they entered, Hannah activated the light mounted under the M-7 Lancer, allowing her to illuminate the room. She blinked as it landed on what seemed to be a long oblong pod, before she slowly panned it along the room. "What the hell is this?" She asked quietly, as they saw several other pods like the first one.

Kyoto blinked as she saw what looked like computer terminals against the wall. She approached them, quietly reaching out and wiping some dust from a wall mounted screen. Glancing down at the board, she quietly traced her armored fingers over it. "Not sure ma'am. Maybe the pods are part of some type of experiment, or-," she said, only for one of her fingers to slip and press a button.

Instantly, there was a soft hum, and the lights in the room began to flicker on, illuminating the room and the pods. Hannah, who had been looking at one, reeled back as she now saw the mummified remains of some being in the pod. "Fuck!" She said, raising her rifle out of reflex, only to calm down as she saw it was dead.

Ramirez moved to another pod, shaking his head as well. "Same story here ma'am," he said, finding another dead figure.

Hannah slowly moved along the pods, seeing more and more mummified corpses. "Unbelievable," she muttered quietly. "Do you…do you think these are Protheans?" She asked, as Kyoto was at the terminal still, which had lit up now. No one had ever found Prothean remains before, or even had an idea of what they looked like.

"This is definitely Prothean text ma'am, but I can't translate it," Kyoto said, looking down at the buttons. "Hell, I'm scared of pressing any of these buttons. I don't know what they might do."

Hannah looked up to respond to her, only for there to be a whirring noise, as a wall of light appeared from the ceiling against the far wall, then swept across the room, going back and forth. Shortly thereafter it shut down, and a computerized voice began to speak, though not in any language the trio recognized. Hannah grimaced as the voice was disrupted with a couple bouts of static. "Any idea how to shut that off?" She asked her two marines.

At the far end of the room, one of the pods began to hum and whir, drawing their attention. Hannah approached with her weapon ready, only to blink as she saw inside the pod. Instead of a mummified corpse, there appeared to be a small figure, wearing some type of body suit. However, she could see skin, and what looked like golden hair through the pod. "Hey, over here," she said. "Looks like we might have a live one here!"

"A live one?" Ramirez asked, approaching. "How is that possible? These pods have to be at least fifty thousand years old at least," he said.

It was at that moment that the lights in the room began to sputter and die out, as well as the terminal Kyoto had been working at. At the same time, the pod that housed the small figure began to sputter and die as well, with the figure inside twitching and starting to convulse. Hannah's eyes went wide. "Shit! Something's happening to the power! Get this pod open!" She shouted, frantically trying to find a release.

Ramirez did the same, as Kyoto rushed over, helping them. She soon found some type of lever on the bottom and pulled it, causing the pod to pop open. The figure inside was still twitching and convulsing, only to stop suddenly. Hannah however felt some fear grip her heart though as she didn't detect any breathing. "Get Strelkov over here now!" She shouted, as she removed her helmet, revealing her neck length red hair and brown eyes, and immediately began giving the figure mouth to mouth resuscitation.

Ramirez activated his comm, signaling Strelkov the unit medic, while Hannah kept giving the figure CPR, praying that their heart was located in their chest. She kept it up, frantically trying to get the figure to breathe, until she felt them shake and convulse, suddenly coughing madly and drawing air into their lungs. She pulled back, watching as the figure kept coughing and drawing in air, before slowly calming down, still gasping for air. The figure slowly fell back against the bed in the pod, panting heavily, their eyes now wide open, as they slowly looked at Hannah.

Hannah now looked over the figure, glad to see them alive. She blinked, as she now took in the figure's features, and was stunned to see what looked like a human boy lying on the pod before her. They couldn't have been more than ten years old, if she guessed, and had what looked like wild blonde hair and rather striking blue eyes. However, there were several features that showed her this wasn't a human, or at least, not a normal human. The boy's eyes had slit like pupils, like a cat or a snake almost. Along with that, he had strange whisker like marks on his cheeks, and she could see the boy's canine teeth were longer than normal, though not overly long. The boy's ears, while on the sides of his head like a normal human, were also shaped different, coming up into tall narrow points. What was more startling was they seemed to be covered in hair as well. She also noticed that his hands and feet, both of which were bare, had slightly longer, more pointed finger and toenails. And the heel and balls of his feet also seemed to be covered in darker skin that seemed to look thicker.

She slowly leaned over, looking at him. "You okay?" She asked softly, before wondering if this boy, if it was a boy, even understood her.

The young figure, still panting, just looked up at her, before whispering a word. " _M-Memm…_ "

Hannah blinked at that. "What?" she asked, as the boy slowly began closing his eyes.

" _Memm_ ," he repeated, before drifting back into unconsciousness. Hannah could only blink again, before looking up as Corporal Strelkov came rushing in.

"Ma'am, what is it?!" He said, his gaze turning to the boy as Hannah pointed to him.

"I want you to give this…boy a full check up. Make sure he's stable first, and then find out everything you can with non harmful and non-invasive scans. And call me if he wakes up," she said.

As the medic nodded and moved to help the boy, Hannah got her helmet and put it back on, activating her comm. "Falkirk Actual, this is Falkirk 1-1, do you copy?"

There was a few moments silence, before a male voice echoed through the receiver in her helmet. " _Falkirk Actual copies. What's the situation Falkirk 1-1?_ "

"Pirate threat has been neutralized and ruins are secure, as ordered. However, we have a…development down here," she said.

" _What kind of development lieutenant?_ " The man demanded, as Hannah looked back at the young boy.

"The kind that's going to require the Council, sir."

 ** _Serpent Nebula, Widow star cluster_**

Hidden deep within the Serpent Nebula was perhaps one of the grandest sights any living being in the galaxy could hope to see. Traveling through the spatial clouds of gasses, one would emerge to find themselves confronted by the largest known space station in the Milky Way Galaxy, supposedly built by the Protheans who ruled the cosmos fifty thousand years earlier. A massive affair, made up of five long arms, known as the 'Wards', each connected to a central ring that housed the 'Presidium', a lush, beautiful place where the laws and power of the galaxy were made. Sticking out of the center of that ring was a large tower, which housed the chambers of the Council itself, the government that passed and enforced galactic law.

The Council was made up of the most powerful of races within the sectors of the Milky Way that fell under the control of the Council and its affiliate races. The first were the Asari, a mono-gender race that had discovered the Citadel almost three thousand years earlier. Out of the various races in Citadel Space, Asari were the most similar to humanity in appearance, with the only major differences being their extremely long life spans, various blue skin tones, and the lack of hair on their bodies, their heads instead having semi flexible scalp crests that swept towards the back of their heads. Their homeworld of Thessia was so saturated with eezo that all life on the planet was capable of utilizing biotics, the ability to manipulate dark matter through electrical impulses in the nervous system reacting with small eezo nodes that formed during fetal development when said fetus was exposed to Elemental Zero. Something that humanity had only recently begun learning about, as the use of Elemental Zero had grown more prominent, and several starship accidents over cities had led to more exposure. The Asari were among the most technologically advanced, as well as the most diplomatic of the three races that formed the Council.

The second race on the Council was the Salarians, who had arrived at the Citadel only some sixty years after the Asari had found it. After successfully negotiating an alliance with the Asari, the two races formed the Council, and began putting into place the various laws that made galactic society today. The Salarians, unlike the Asari, were more alien like, resembling humanoid amphibians with large eyes, three digit hands, and slender bodies with two horn-like protrusions on the top of their heads as well as lower legs built similar to canines. They had a high metabolism, which meant that they were exceptionally active and fast talking and thinking beings, though this high metabolism also led to a short life span averaging forty years. Because of their slight frames and low life spans, Salarians instead relied on science and their immense intelligence gathering network to protect themselves rather than an overwhelming military force, often defeating enemies without firing a single shot, or striking long before their enemies were ready to attack them.

The final member of the Council was also the most recent. While the Salarians and Asari were the founding members, the Turians were the military power of the Council, having an extensive fleet and military force. A race of aliens with bird like features, Turians were rather tall with metallic like carapaces covering their bodies, three digit hands similar to the Salarians, as well as the same lower leg structure. Turians also had a pair of mandibles on either side of their mouths, while males had head crests sweeping back off their heads. The Turians had been a strong military force even before they joined the Council. That military had come into play during what was known as the Krogan Rebellions, when one of the Council affiliated races, the Krogan, began an aggressive expansion into already colonized worlds. The Turians were contacted by the Asari and Salarians, and began putting their military might into combat against the Krogan, leading eventually to the Krogan defeat with the use of the Genophage, a Salarian made virus that was unleashed upon the Krogan, and negated their incredibly high birthrate, leading to them being unable to replenish their losses. With the Krogan's defeated, the Turians were invited to join the Salarians and Asari as the third Council race.

Now, the current three Councilors were in a private meeting, regarding the latest development on the planet Therum.

Councilor Lieran, the current Salarian Councilor, shifted his large eyes from the data pad of information. "This is truly astounding. Not only a lab with still working Prothean equipment, but also a living breathing specimen? Possibly a Prothean? How fascinating!" He said eagerly.

"Yes, fascinating indeed," said Councilor Bartimus, the Turin Councilor. However, the tone of his flanged voice and the frown on his face showed he did not necessarily share the Salarian's excitement. "I hope the Alliance marines did not badly damage the ruins taking them from those pirates," he said, his mandibles twitching.

"The Alliance already informed us that there was minimal damage to the ruins. If anything, the pirates probably did far worse in their time there. We need to form a team immediately to investigate both the ruins and this specimen they found," Lieran said, looking up at his two colleagues.

"Indeed we do. But I suggest we also send in a team to relieve the Alliance marines in place. I can have two platoons from Palaven there within four hours," Bartimus said, only for the final Councilor to shake her head.

"No…I think we should allow the Alliance soldiers to remain in place," Councilor Tevos said, looking at Bartimus. "The Alliance was the one who made this incredible discovery. It was their soldiers who took the risks. It is only fitting that they be a part of this discovery, and understanding it. I suggest we extend a formal invitation for a joint study of the site. It will show the humans we trust them, and perhaps ease some of the tension that has been building since they first began allying with us."

"With all due respect Tevos, the Alliance needs to understand its place. They have only been a part of the galactic community for seven years, and yet they are already clamoring for more power, more influence in galactic decision making. Most of the other races that have or had embassies on the Citadel waited for decades, if not centuries before being granted one. They need to understand that they must wait like anybody else," Bartimus said angrily, his mandibles flaring slightly as his eyes narrowed.

"If we show them some trust, Bartimus, then they might in turn show us trust," Tevos said patiently. "But if we treat them like outsiders, then they might come to a point where they no longer wish to have anything to do with us. Remember Bartimus that they were able to defeat your forces occupying Shanxi in a surprise counter strike. The humans are a sleeping giant, and if we rile them…they may prove to be a danger, especially if they were to gain others as their allies, such as the Krogan."

Bartimus growled softly, but leaned back in his chair. "Very well then. But at least allow the Turian military to deploy some forces in the area, if only to increase overall security," he said.

"Of course Bartimus. This is a great find, and we must protect it as we study it," Tevos said with a small smile on her face. "Lieran, please begin assembling a scientific team, while Bartimus gathers a security force. I shall contact the System's Alliance and invite them to send a team of their own," she said, standing up. "This meeting is adjourned."

 ** _Planet Therum_**

Within twenty four hours of the Falkirk's message to the System's Alliance, which was then relayed to the Citadel, a task force had occupied the space around Therum. No less than ten Alliance warships, including one of their few dreadnaughts, occupied the space in orbit around the planet. They had been bolstered by a further six ships from the Turians Hierarchy. These ships were some distance from the Alliance ships, due to there still being resentment from both sides following the First Contact War, or the Relay 314 Incident as the Turians called it.

A new ship soon arrived, a Turian freighter carrying the Council's science team. It entered orbit over the planet, and immediately shuttles began ferrying the science team, their support staff, and equipment down to the planet, near the location of the ruins.

On the ground around the lab, the Alliance forces had set up several prefab shelters for their scientists to sleep and work in, as well as for the incoming Council team as well. There were also prefabs for the Marines currently guarding the area, with a second set of prefabs of Turian design set up on the opposite side of the camp, where Turian soldiers currently were living.

As the first shuttle began to touchdown, they were met by a pair of humans. The first was a woman in a researcher uniform with short brown hair, while the other was a man in an Alliance uniform with a gold leaf insignia pinned to his collar, denoting he was a Major in the Alliance Marines.

The shuttle door opened, and out stepped several Asari and Salarians, with a few of them pulling out crates of equipment. An Asari strolled forward, her skin a dark shade of blue, and her eyes green. She smiled as she approached. "Hello, I'm Dr. T'Nevra, of the Serrice University. I'm in charge of the Council team sent to investigate this site."

The human woman held out her hand, shaking T'Nevra's. "It's a pleasure to meet you Doctor! I'm Professor Noles, head of the Alliance team on site currently. And this is Major Andrews, head of the marines in charge of our security here," she said, indicating the human major, who gave a curt nod.

"Good to meet you both," T'Nevra said, as they walked towards the prefab shelters. "So tell me, have you made any progress?"

"Not a whole lot. We've only been onsite for about four hours. However we have managed to hook up some generators to the lab that the specimen was found in. Most of the terminals and equipment powered up, but we held off on doing more than that until your team arrived. We have finished mapping out what part of the ruins are intact. Surprisingly, quite a lot," Noles said, before becoming hesitant. "However…there has been a…complication regarding the specimen."

T'Nevra turned to her, eyes wide. "The specimen is still alive, yes? What is it?" She asked, as some of the research staff passed them with the equipment.

The human researcher nodded. '"Oh yes, he's fine! Recovering nicely from what appears to have been cryogenic stasis, as far as we can tell. However…well…I think it's best to show you," she said, leading the Asari scientist into one of the larger prefab shelters, which served as a laboratory.

Inside, she stopped outside the windows looking into an examination room and pointed. T'Nevra looked in, blinking at what she saw.

Inside was a human female with neck length red hair and brown eyes, wearing the blue short sleeved on duty uniform of an Alliance Marine. She was quietly talking to what looked like a small human boy, save for some distinct features that definitely were not human. Said boy was whimpering quietly, trying to hide in a corner as a medical doctor was picking themself up off the floor, a syringe lying near them. The boy finally threw himself into the woman's arms, whimpering as she gently petted his head.

"The woman currently comforting the specimen is Staff Lieutenant Hannah Shepard. It was she who found the boy, along with two of her marines. She actually saved his life, as apparently the pod was on the verge of failing. There appeared to be some type of automated start up function which activated the pod's awakening sequence, but it failed, and the boy was dying. When he awoke, he began speaking in some language we haven't been able to translate yet, then started crying and screaming, until the lieutenant entered the room. He all but ran to her, hugging her and repeating one word over and over again: _Memm_ ," Noles informed T'Nevra. "Since then, we've tried to keep the two together as much as possible. He seems fearful of anyone else, wishing only to be around her. He's even become…violent a couple of times," she said, wincing a bit.

"What do you mean?" T'Nevra asked, as the doctor limped out of the room.

"She means that he lashed out with those claws of his at someone who tried to restrain him during one of the rare moments when Lieutenant Shepard wasn't in the room with him," the doctor said. "And you just missed him slamming me into the wall with an uncontrolled burst of biotics when I tried to get a blood sample. Doctor Seagel by the way."

T'Nevra shook his hand, while still looking at the young boy, who seemed to have calmed down, and was now quietly hugging Hannah, who was holding onto him. "So he's reacting violently to everyone but her? Do we have a hypothesis on why?"

"Well we're hoping the terminals in the lab might hold some clue, but…one of my assistants has a theory," Dr. Noles said. "He postulated that the specimen perhaps has…'imprinted' on Lieutenant Shepard. He might think of her as his mother."

"A sentient being acting with animalistic instincts? Absurd," came a high pitched voice, as a Salarian scientist joined them. "I'm sure there are far more logical explanations then that."

T'Nevra rolled her eyes a bit as she indicated the Salarian. "This is Dr. Kerrick of Sur'Kesh. He's head of the Salarian scientists that are a part of this team," she said, as the Salarian, a grayish-green one, sniffed.

"Yes. Well as we said, it's only a possibility. We're not sure yet, until we've done more study," Professor Noles said. "As it stands though, studying him is next to impossible without Lieutenant Sheppard present."

"Then we'll simply have to sedate him so we can properly study him," Kerrick said with a contemptuous sniff. "I'm sure if we simply slipped sedatives into his food, it would be no trouble."

"Except we have no idea how he'd react to the sedatives," Dr. Seagel said. "I managed to run a few scans of him, and get some idea about his biology, but I can't tell you how he'll react to medicine or drugs. We give him a sedative, it could kill him."

"Well…we could still learn quite a bit from his corpse," Kerrick stated, as everyone glared at him.

"I think perhaps we should wait until we look at the data from the terminals in the lab. We'd have a much better idea of what he is exactly," T'Nevra said. "If you don't mind, I'd like a tour of the ruins, to see what we have."

"Of course ma'am. Right this way please," Major Andrews said, turning to lead the scientists through the ruins.

Back in the exam room, Hannah let out a sigh as she looked down at the alien boy currently hugging her. She wasn't sure what to think of the situation she was in. Yesterday she had saved this boy's life, and now anytime she left the room he started freaking out, first whimpering and calling out that same word, Memm. Then he'd start to cry and scream, and would try to escape the room, or hide in a corner. And anyone who wasn't her who got near him would be attacked if he couldn't flee from them. What had been surprising was seeing him unleash an uncontrolled burst of biotic energy at one of the medics who had tried to examine him earlier, as well as just now against the doctor who was attempting to get a blood sample. Even more surprising was the boy's biotics were a vivid orange-red in color, rather than the blue they had seen amongst Asari and the few humans who were manifesting the power.

She sighed, quietly petting his head. "It's okay little guy," she murmured softly, making him look up at her.

" _Rut mud wedo?_ " He asked, as Hannah let out a soft sigh.

"Sorry, I don't understand you," she said softly, still just letting him hug her. He didn't seem to understand, nor mind, as he simply buried his face against her side.

At that moment there was a ringing noise coming from her left wrist, making the boy shoot up, looking around as his ears actually seemed to twitch in the direction of the noise. Hannah gently touched his shoulder, making him look up at her. "It's okay, it's okay. Don't worry," she said, giving him a smile, which caused him to relax fractionally. She raised her left arm, which had a small bracelet around her wrist, before pressing a button on said bracelet. A holographic computer sprang to life, encircling her forearm and hand, as she tapped a few of the holographic keys. (1)

She found that she had just received an e-mail, and she smiled as she saw the sender. Grinning, she opened it.

" _Hey mommy! Daddy just told me that something really exciting happened with you, but he couldn't tell me what. So I wanted to send you a message. Can you tell me what happened?!_

 _Me and daddy are having fun here. He helped me with my math homework. It was so boring. But he says it's important, because everyone uses math. Is that true?_

 _I can't wait to spend time with you, mommy! I hope whatever you're doing won't take too long!_

 _Love, Alicia"_

Hannah smiled softly as she read the message from her daughter Alicia, who was ten, almost eleven years old. She grinned, thinking about her daughter, with wild red hair and bright blue eyes, the latter of which she got from her father, Malcolm Shepard. She and Malcolm were both in the military, with Malcolm currently stationed as part of the garrison on the colony world of Terra Nova. Due to them both being military personnel and having a child, the Alliance Military would often assign them to postings close to each other, so that the family could spend time together whenever possible. If one was assigned to a ship, the other was always assigned to a ground garrison to ensure their daughter would have e parent with them. (2)

She glanced down at the young alien boy, who had nodded off against her, apparently exhausted from everything that had happened, and sighed as she quietly began typing out a response to her daughter.

" _Hey sweetie, don't worry. I'm alright here. But no, sadly I can't tell you what happened. Not yet at least._

 _Glad to hear you and daddy are having fun. But yes, daddy is right. Math is very important, even if it is boring. That's right, mommy think it's boring too. But math is something everybody needs to know when they grow up, so study hard, okay?_

 _Hopefully, I'll be able to come home soon, and spend time with you, sweetie. Until then, be good for daddy. Hugs and kisses!_

 _Love, mommy."_

Sending the message, she gently picked up the boy and walked over to the examination table, which she awkwardly climbed up on, and held the boy close, letting him sleep against her. As she watched him, she couldn't help but let a thought flit through her mind. ' _Just what have I gotten myself into?_ '

A couple hours later, the scientists were going over the first batch of data downloaded from the lab computers and run through a Prothean translation program that had been made based off studies of various Prothean writings left in the few ruins found. Dr. T'Nevra as currently sipping a cup of human coffee, a beverage she had found quite addictive after it had become an export from their planet of Earth. She glanced up, as one of her research assistants approached her. "Doctor, we just finished the first translations," her Asari assistant said, holding out the datapad to her.

"Good work. Make sure a copy goes to the Alliance team as well," she said, as she began to read the information in front of her.

 _Test Zero Two Zero B_

 _Have continued attempts to analyze and indentify the genetic code in subjects that allows their race to view genetic memory from parental units and other ancestors. So far, no luck in identifying genetic sequence. Subject Eight grew hostile, likely due to confinement, and was sedated. Subject Fifteen, being the youngest of the group, has been most promising source of information on development of the Vulzan's unique abilities. Studying his genetic structure as he grows has given us some headway, but nothing concrete._

 _On a personal note, I find the Vulzan's to be fascinating. They are a proud, powerful race, much like we Protheans. What is fascinating though is the diversity of their race. So many different clans and tribes, with each having their own unique physical features and traits. Despite claims of animosity in the past between their various tribes, none managed to truly wipe another group out. What is also fascinating is the difference in their evolution from most of the other races we've encountered. Their home planet was quite rich in Element Zero, enough to cause them all to develop biotic capabilities to a greater extent than any we've seen. But their genetic memories are the true prize. If we can figure out how they are able to access these memories, perhaps we can find a way to duplicate it in others._

Dr. T'Nevra set down the pad, musing. So it was apparent this boy wasn't a Prothean, but from another race, one that the Protheans were studying. While a part of her felt disappointment that they hadn't found a Prothean, the fact that they still found someone from that time period alive and well was an extremely exciting opportunity.

Standing up, she went to the part of the prefab where the translations were going on. A Salarian was hard at work, until the Asari scientist tapped him on the shoulder. "If you come across any more entries that contain the word Vulzan in them, I want them immediately. They're top priority. Also any bio data on a…Subject Fifteen. Likely that is our scared little boy," she said.

The Salarian nodded and went back to work, as Dr. T'Nevra moved away, grinning softly. The hunt was beginning.

 ** _Citadel Council, Two Weeks Later_**

The three Councilors currently were standing in front of a holographic communications device, hearing a report from Drs. T'Nevra and Kerrick.

" _We have completed the study of the ruins. Apparently it was some type of research lab of sorts. The Protheans were using it primarily for biological studies,_ " Dr. T'Nevra said. " _What's surprising is how intact the entire facility is, compared to most Prothean ruins. Whatever wiped out the Protheans fifty thousand years ago, it didn't seem to affect this facility that much. As far as we can tell, they just simply…abandoned it._ "

"Did you learn anything about the boy?" Councilor Lieran asked, as Dr. Kerrick scoffed.

" _Hardly. Beyond a few scans I was unable to learn anything at all. The humans interfered too much, preventing me from doing any meaningful study,_ " the Salarian said contemptuously, as Dr. T'Nevra shot him a glare.

" _What the good doctor means to say is that the Alliance researchers were taking precautions with the only living subject of a bygone race. We've been studying the reports left by the Prothean Scientists, and learning what we can about the boy's biology, rather than attempting to do invasive and possibly fatal methods of studying him,_ " she said, her tone aggravated slightly, before calming down. " _We have managed to learn more about this boy's race. Apparently they were a race the Protheans uplifted from their planet, which was on the verge of dying. They transplanted as much of the population as they could to a new world, one they called Fieran. We have been unable to identify the planet, but it is on this world that they relocated the Vulzan race, which was made members of the Prothean's galactic community. Apparently though, the beings we found were taken for study into their unique biology._ "

"Can you elaborate exactly why?" Councilor Tevos said, only for Kerrick to start speaking.

" _What we've gathered so far is that the Vulzan race was a diverse one, made up of several different tribes or clans. The race in general shared a number of remarkable similarities with both your race and the humans. However, as Dr. Noles of the Alliance team puts it, they have…'animalistic' features,_ " he said, making air quotes as he said animalistic. " _Indeed, she compared our specimen's features to that of a number of Earth based canine species. We've studied the corpses of the other Vulzan in the lab, and they too have a number of different 'animalistic' features. The Protheans were also apparently studying two other unique features regarding this race. The first is one they seemed most interested in. They describe it as some type of genetic memory. Each Vulzan apparently is born with the genetic memories of their parents up to the moment of birth, as well as the memories of their parents' parents, and those parents' parents, and so on and so forth. It creates a wealth of experience and instinct that helps guide each new Vulzan member through life. This was what the Protheans were primarily studying, apparently._ "

" _They were also fascinated with the Vulzan's biotic capabilities. Apparently, the genetic memories acted in a way as a guide for each Vulzan to utilize their biotics, relying on memories and experience from their ancestors to wield their biotics. In each of the corpses we found, there was no sign of a biotic amp, which is necessary for most species in this time to properly utilize their biotics. We're quite possibly looking at a race of truly natural biotics,_ " Dr. T'Nevra said excitedly.

"That is a fascinating find," Councilor Bartimus said, intrigued. "Is there any evidence that the Prothean's made inroads into understanding what they were studying?"

" _We have found several reports that indicate they were making progress, yes. However, the data in the terminals was heavily corrupted after fifty thousand years of natural decay and inactivity. What is interesting though is some of the final reports. Apparently the project was put on hold, as the scientists in the lab were being transferred to a new project. They put the test subjects into cryo-stasis, intent on keeping them for when the project might be reactivated. After that, there are no more reports. It seems that whatever caused the Protheans to vanish happened shortly thereafter. The lab remained here, with the cryo-stasis units operating as long as they could. According to data we took from the terminals, the main computer VI began shutting down non critical systems, then some of the critical systems, to keep the pods active. Even then though, it didn't have the power to keep the pods going, and one by one, shut them down. Why it chose our specimen's pod to be the last, we don't know. But apparently, it was on the verge of losing power to maintain even that pod, until the pirate gang arrived and set up generators to power parts of the base. The VI began siphoning power to keep the last pod active,_ Dr. T'Nevra reported.

"I'm surprised that the pod wasn't opened sooner by the pirates," Lieran asked, one finger tapping his chin. "Still, their loss is our gain."

Councilor Tevos nodded in agreement. "Indeed. We have found a wealth of information, as well as an incredible find that dwarfs any so far. The question is now what do we do about this young boy?"

" _Councilors, I believe we need a more in depth study of the boy. Simply reading Prothean reports is not enough; we need to conduct more in depth studies and scans of him. If we could transfer him to a facility, preferably one on Sur'Kesh, I'm sure we would learn everything we need,_ " Dr. Kerricak stated.

Dr. T'nevra stared at him in horror. " _He is not some mindless varren to just poke and prod and dissect!_ " She yelled at him. " _He's a living sentient being, who is the last of his race. What's more, he's lost and terrified. If we're going to do any studying of him, it needs to be done in a way that causes no harm to him._ "

Councilor Tevos raised a hand to silence them both. "Please, both of you calm down. Yelling and fighting will accomplish nothing," she said. "Now Dr. Kerrick, what you say might be true, but Dr. T'Nevra is correct. We will not simply forget that he is a sentient being, and that he should be treated as such. There is also the fact that any decision we make will be made in agreement with the Alliance at this time. They are a part of this project as well."

Kerrick let out a contemptuous sniff, while Bartimus's eyes narrowed, his mandibles twitching. Tevos let out a tired sigh. "Is there anything else you have to report to us?"

" _Yes actually,_ " Dr. T'Nevra said with a smile. " _We found a few profiles on the various test subjects, including our young friend. We now have a name for him: Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki._ "

Meanwhile, on Therum, Hannah couldn't help but chuckle slightly, watching little Naruto play with a few toys that had been supplied for the boy. Watching him, he seemed like a normal boy, smiling as he flew around a toy spaceship in one hand. He giggled and began to run though as Corporal Richter, the heavy weapons specialist of the Falkirk's marine detachment, chased after him with another spaceship, making 'pew pew' noises as well. The large man of German descent seemed to be one of the few people the young alien boy had grown to trust enough, along with Corporal Strelkov, and Dr. Noles. Richter had actually won his trust by showing him a 'magic trick', which had delighted the young boy to no end, watching Richter 'magically' separate the end of his thumb from the rest of the digit. Still though, Naruto would whimper or cry if Hannah left the room.

Letting out a sigh, she blinked as Naruto giggled, running behind her. " _Memmu, xato mo! Xo nudkj ke wok mo!_ " He said, giggling as Richter tried to fly his ship around Hannah.

"Hey, no fair! You can't hide behind the lieutenant!" Richter said in his German accent, pouting as Naruto just giggled at the sound of the man's voice and the look on his face.

Hannah chuckled, ruffling Naruto's hair, marveling at how it felt thicker, finer, and shaggier than normal hair. He just giggled, trying to pull away from her. She had to admit, after a couple weeks with him, she felt a bit attached to the boy. He was just adorable, though a bit too clingy. She just wished she could understand what he was saying.

It was at that time that the door to the room they were in opened, and in walked Dr. T'Nevra in. Naruto's giggles died down and he shifted a bit nervously, as Hannah gently rubbed his head. "Dr. T'Nevra. Is something the matter?" She asked the Asari.

"I was reporting to the Council on everything we've learned so far," the Asari researcher stated. "For the most part, they seemed impressed. However…Dr. Kerrick stated his displeasure at your people's interference, as well as my own, in him getting more in depth studies regarding Naruto. He is…becoming aggravating," she said with a frustrated sigh.

"It would be nice if he pulled the stick out of his ass, wouldn't it?" Hannah asked with a grin, as T'Nevra tried to stifle a smile and giggle. "Still, I doubt the Council was overly eager to start cutting Naruto open."

"Councilor Tevos was quite adamant that wouldn't happen. She sees far more value in Naruto being kept alive and well. Something that the other two Councilors seem to think as well. So for now, there are no worries about that happening," T'Nevra said. "I also have some good news. The translation software is almost ready. In a day or two, we should be able to finally understand Naruto. And he will be able to understand us," she said.

"Well that'll be good, won't it Naruto?" Hannah asked, as Naruto just smiled at her, not understanding anything she said beyond his name, but being pleased at the tone of her voice.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Have fun," T'Nevra said as she headed off, leaving them to their playing. Hannah smiled a bit, grabbing another ship and joining Richter and Naruto, making Naruto giggle happily as they all played together.

Unfortunately, at that moment, alarms started going off throughout the base, causing Naruto to drop his ship and let out a cry of surprise and fear, covering his ears. Corporal Richter quickly moved to the door, hand moving to the Predator pistol at his side, while Hannah touched Naruto's shoulder, comforting him as she activated the comm unit sitting on her ear. "Major Andrew sir, what's going on?" She asked.

" _Lieutenant, we just received word that a small fleet of Batarian ships entered the system, and are currently holding at the outer edge. We're going on alert until further notice. Please stay in your quarters and protect your charge_ ," Major Andrews said, before shutting down the comm. Hannah growled as she pulled her hand away from the ear piece.

"Batarians," she said to Richter, who scowled a bit.

"Well things got interesting," he said, as Naruto huddled against Hannah.

" _Memm, nxuk aj ak?_ " He whimpered, hugging her.

Hannah just looked at him, hugging him close. "Don't worry kid. Don't worry," she said, as he snuggled against her.

 ** _Citadel, Two Hours Later_**

"What is the meaning of this Ambassador Gorrsh? Why has one of your fleets entered the Knossos System?" Councilor Bartimus demanded, looking at the Batarian Ambassador, who stood before the Council, with Alliance Ambassador Michaels to his side.

Ambassador Gorrsh simply stood there, his four eyes watching the Council members, before he began speaking in the guttural tone of his people. "Council members, the reason for my government's actions is simple," he stated. "We have seen a rapid buildup of Alliance and Turian military forces in a region of space that is not that far off from Hegemony space. My government is of course concerned that this action could be the first step towards aggressive actions against my people. You have, in the past, made your displeasure at my people's practices well known," he stated.

The Batarian Hegemony, a caste based government that ruled over the Batarian people, was well known for being the only government within Council controlled or Council affiliated space that still continued a slave trade, one that was quite profitable for the Batarians. The only other areas where such things occurred were the Terminus Systems, the wild outer regions of the Milky Way Galaxy that had refused to bow to Council Control, and where gangs of pirates and outlaws roamed freely, preying on each other and occasionally striking into Outer Council space or the Attican Traverse for fresh plunder and slaves.

"Ambassador Gorrsh, the force at the planet Therum is not part of any action against your people," Councilor Lieran said. "They are instead a protection force for a team of Council and Alliance researchers, who are studying a Prothean ruin that was taken from a band of pirates not too long ago. I assure you that you have no reason to fear anything from them."

The ambassador merely smiled, his slightly thick lips pulling back enough to expose his sharp teeth. "I see. If that's the case, then perhaps instead my people's fleet could offer…protection instead? The Attican Traverse is such a dangerous place, especially for those without the ability to defend themselves," he said, shooting a quick glance at Ambassador Michaels, who crossed his arms.

"I can assure you that my people are more than ready to defend themselves if need be," he said, looking defiantly at the Batarian ambassador, daring him to say something else.

"Perhaps. Still, my government would be more than happy to provide not only military protection, but scientific aid as well. If you so choose. In fact, as a goodwill gesture, I'll talk to my government about keeping the fleet in the sector, to help keep an eye out for pirates," Ambassador Gorrsh said, smiling. "If that is all?"

Councilor Bartimus glared at Gorrsh, but Tevos spoke before anyone else could. "Yes, that is all. Thank you ambassador," she said.

Gorrsh simply nodded his head and turned, leaving the chambers. When he was out of earshot, Ambassador Michaels turned back to the Council. "It seems the Batarians are not too happy being left out," he said quietly.

"Indeed it doesn't. But if they think these intimidation tactics will get them what they want, they are sorely mistaken," Councilor Bartimus said. "I'll contact my government on Palaven and see if the Primarch can redirect more warships to Therum," he stated, only to be stopped by Tevos.

"That would merely escalate the situation, Bartimus," she said quietly. "While the Batarians would undoubtedly not wish to engage in a war with us, they have also not done anything wrong at this point. All they've merely done was investigate suspicious activity that they believed to be a threat to their borders, and then offered us aid. While we might see their true actions in trying to intimidate us, to the public, any action we take against them will look aggressive or suspicious."

"Indeed. And if we simply pull our people out of there, they will likely swoop in and claim the planet for themselves. Any other Prothean ruins on the planet will become that much harder to access. So we must deal with this situation delicately, to ensure nothing awry happens," Councilor Lieran said.

"Perhaps…we should listen to Ambassador Gorrsh's advice," Michaels said quietly, making the three Councilor's look at him. "As he said…the Attican Traverse is a dangerous place. It might be more prudent to remove our people from Therum…under heavy escort," he said.

The three Councilors all blinked, before Bartimus's mandibles twitched. "I couldn't agree more," he said.

 ** _Alliance Research Outpost Iris, Planet Terra Nova_**

Hannah Shepard bit her lip nervously; looking at the approaching skycab she knew held her husband and daughter in it. It had been a week since the Batarian fleet had arrived in the Knossos system, and she had to admit, the Council's reaction had been relatively brilliant.

Not even a day after the Batarian fleet arrived, a task force of warships from the Asari Republics and Turian Hierarchy showed up, made up of several cruisers, frigates, and the Turian dreadnaught PFS _Reliant_. They transmitted orders to the ground teams to begin preparations for a full evacuation, at which point they would escort the ships to the Mass Relay, to protect them from potential pirates. They had also stated that the Alliance had received the blessing of the Council to set up a permanent research colony on Therum, for future scientific and archeology teams to utilize in studying other Prothean ruins found on the planet. The Turian General onboard the _Reliant_ transmitted to the Batarian fleet the news, and welcomed them to stay and guard the planet against future pirate incursions, but also let them know that an Alliance force would be joining them in patrolling the area if they chose to stay. The Alliance after all was interested in protecting their future investment.

In one fell swoop, the Council not only turned the Batarians intimidation back upon them with their fleets, but also ensured that possible undiscovered ruins still on Therum would not fall into Batarian hands, who despite being an affiliated race of the Council, was one that seemed to resent being under Council rule, and had been growing more and more belligerent. The Turian Councilor had not been entirely happy about giving Therum to the Alliance, but no other race was as close to the planet as the Alliance was, making it easier for the Alliance to establish a colony there than any other race. Though the Alliance did report it would take them at least two years to get a proper colony going.

As for the researchers, their staff, and Hannah and Naruto, they had been relocated to a research facility on Terra Nova, a decision that did not sit well with the Turian Councilor either. However, with each of the Council races being a bit leery about allowing Alliance scientists into their research labs, and the Alliance being open to the idea of continuing the work in their own facilities, the decision was made.

Hannah however was nervous due to a relatively recent discovery she had made regarding Naruto, thanks to the recently finished and tested translation program. She glanced down at Naruto, who was by her side, before looking at the now landing skycab, which contained her husband and daughter.

The doors of the vehicle had barely opened when a red blur shot out with a cry of "Mommy". Hannah let out an oomph as her almost eleven year old daughter Alicia hugged her, grinning happily up at her. "Hi mommy! It's so great to see you again!" She said, looking up at Hannah with her vivid blue eyes.

Behind, Malcolm Shepard got out of the car, smiling at his wife and daughter, only to blink as he saw Naruto standing a bit back. Shaking his head, he moved to embrace his wife, kissing her on the lips. "Mmmm, good to see you again Hannah," he said, holding her close.

"Good to see you too," she whispered, kissing him against softly, before smiling at her daughter. "And it's great to see you Alicia. Been good for daddy?"

"Yep!" She said excitedly, before looking behind Hannah at the shy figure of Naruto. "Mommy, who's that?" She asked. "And why does he have pointy ears?"

Hannah bit her lip, as she slowly pulled out of her husband's embrace. "Yes. Well sweetie…Malcolm. I've got a bit of a surprise for you," she said, moving to Naruto and gently putting a hand on his shoulder. "Say hello to Naruto…your…well brother," she said to Alicia.

Naruto just shyly waved at them as they stared at him. 'H-Hi," he said shyly as they both just stared, making Hannah let out a sigh. She had a lot of explaining to do it seemed.

* * *

 **Well here it is, the first chapter of my Mass EffectxNaruto fanfic. Sorry if it bounced around a lot. I didn't want to, but I sort of needed to set things up, and it required me to bounce around. Still, next few chapters should hopefully be smoother, to a degree. Especially when I get to the start of the games in my fanfic.**

 **I hope those of you who read this enjoy it, and if not, please give me a few chapters to change your mind.**

 **So for those of you wondering, the language Naruto is speaking in Dinoese, the language spoken by Krystal and the inhabitants of Dinosaur Planet in StarFox Adventures. I wanted to give him his own language, but had no idea what to go with, until I rediscovered my old copy of StarFox Adventures, and the manual inside, which has an English to Dino Alphabet translation. So, went with that.**

 **Thanks to Kyuubi123 for their betaing of my works. I owe you guys a lot.**

 **1\. As far as I can tell, they don't exactly elaborate on how omni-tools work exactly. So my thought was it was like a small bracelet that contained all the hardware and stuff, that then generated a holographic computer when need be. That way people could take them off when need be. Though those would be commercial omni-tools. I also think military grade ones would be built directly into the armor itself.**

 **2\. Not something elaborated on either in ME lore, so I went with the most logical solution given the info we do have. If you choose the Spacer Origin for your Shepard, it says both of Shepard's parents are career military. Now since the only sci-fi series I've seen that had families stationed onboard their ships was Star Trek, and those were scientific vessels as much as they were military ships, it seemed pretty obvious to me that they couldn't raise their child onboard a warship. So most likely, they were stationed at various bases, with one parent or the other being on tours serving onboard warships. Which is what I'm going with here.**

 **Translations (please note there is no y in dinoese).**

 **Memm= Mommy**

 **Rut mud wedo?= Bad man gone?**

 **Memmu, xato mo! Xo nudkj ke wok mo!= Momma, hide me! He wants to get me!**

 **Memm, nxuk aj ak?= Mommy, what is it?**


	2. A Family

**Well, after finishing the other chapter, I decided to quickly churn this one out as well. Because…well I got my juices going, and I just can't stop.**

 **So here we go. I hope you all like this, and if you're wondering when the action of Mass Effect will begin, don't worry. I'm not going to spend too long here in the early years. I just want to set things up so you all understand the characters of Alicia and Naruto for later on.**

 **On with the chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Naruto. They are the property of Bioware and Masashi Kishimoto respectively. This is a nonprofit fanfic meant for entertainment purposes. Please support the official releases.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **A Family**

"What do you mean brother?" Malcolm Shepard asked, after the family was squared away in their new quarters in the research facility. Naruto was currently in his room, getting out the toys he had been given back on Therum, while Hannah talked to both Malcolm and Alicia, to help them understand the situation. Now that the boy wasn't in earshot, she could actually explain things without potentially upsetting him.

Hannah let out a sigh, rubbing her forehead. "It's a bit…complicated. The researchers aren't a hundred percent certain, but they think that…he imprinted on me when I saved him," she said. "When we opened his pod and I saved him, he looked at me, and in that moment, he imprinted on me, making him think I'm his mother, like most baby animals. Unfortunately, I only found out a couple days ago, when the translation software was finally completed and I understood he was calling me 'mommy'. I just thought he was clinging to me because I saved him, but apparently it's more than that."

Malcolm shook his head. "But wouldn't he have imprinted on his actual biological mother? Why would he think you're his mother?"

"It has to do with what the Protheans did. They apparently took him away from his family when he was pretty young, and it messed him up a bit. He didn't fully imprint on her, and so waking up from cyro, he imprinted on the first being he saw, which was me. So for now at least…we need to treat him like he's our son. Otherwise…well they said it could really traumatize him otherwise," she said softly.

Alicia just blinked at that. "But how could he think you're his mommy? You don't look like him," she said.

Hannah knelt down, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Well sweetie…in the wild, some baby animals, after they're born, they think that the first thing they see is their mommy. Usually it is their mommy, because she stays nearby to take care of them. But sometimes, if she's not there, if they see something else, like another animal, they might think it's their mommy instead, even if it doesn't look like them. And that's what happened with Naruto here. He thinks I'm his mommy. Which means he thinks you're his sister. Or he will," she said.

Alicia blinked again. "You mean…I get to be a big sister?" She asked, brightening up a bit. "That's so cool! I've always wanted to be a big sister!"

Hannah chuckled softly, seeing her daughter look happy. "Okay, but you need to be careful. He's still a bit shy and scared, so try and be gentle with him, until he settles in, okay?" She said.

Alicia nodded, grinning, until they heard soft footsteps approaching. Naruto shyly stood in the hallway leading to the bedrooms. "U-Umm…m-mommy? Who are they?" He asked shyly, fiddling with the small bracelet on his left arm that housed the translation program.

Hannah held out a hand, beckoning him over. "Naruto…I'd like you to meet your sister Alicia, and this is your dad," she said, indicating Alicia and Malcolm.

Naruto shyly walked over, looking at them, as Alicia smiled at him. She suddenly was there in front of him, making him yelp. "Hi! I'm Alicia, and I guess I'm your big sis now!" She said. "Ooooh, look at your ears! They're all fuzzy!" She said.

Naruto jumped a bit when she appeared in front of him, and glanced down at the floor, his ears twitching a bit. "I-Is that bad that they're fuzzy?" He asked her, only for her to giggle.

"No, it's so cool! And your eyes look cool to!" She said, hugging him. Naruto yelped at that, squirming at the sudden hug and looking at Hannah, who just smiled.

"Alicia, remember. Take it easy on him," she said, as Alicia let go of Naruto.

"Oh right, sorry," she said, giggling. "Hey, you wanna maybe go play?" She asked him.

"U-Uh, sure?" Naruto said, only to yelp as Alicia all but dragged him off to go play in one of their rooms, while Hannah shook her head.

"I wish I knew where she got that energy from. She's a fireball," she said with a chuckle.

Malcolm however was still frowning softly. "Hannah…this is rather…well crazy," he said quietly, leaning against the dinner table in their quarters. "I mean…that's a kid…from a race that died off probably fifty thousand years ago," he said. "And he thinks we're his family. That's…quite a bombshell to have dropped on us."

Hannah looked at him, her smile disappearing. "I know," she said softly. "But there's not a whole lot I can do. I was contacted by the Prime Minister himself," she said, making his eyes widen. "He told me that this is important for the Alliance, and humanity. Apparently this whole research project is making headway for the Alliance and humanity to have an embassy on the Citadel. They want me to do everything I can to help out, even if that means being Naruto's mother."

Malcolm just let out a soft whistle. Prime Minister Terrence Howards, head of the Parliament of the System's Alliance, probably one of, if not the most important and influential people in the Alliance. While on Earth, each nation or confederation still had their own sovereignty and power, the System's Alliance represented humanity's interest and defense in the galactic community. They governed the colonies and saw to their defense, and as such, had a parliamentary system in place with representatives from the various colonies as well as from Earth itself, all led by a Prime Minister. To be contacted by him personally showed how important this was to the Alliance.

Hannah gently grabbed his hand. "Look, I know this is one crazy shock. But it's nothing we can't handle. We just have to take care of him, that's all."

Malcolm took a deep sigh. "Alright. How hard can it be? We're already raising one adorable hell raiser, I'm sure we can handle two," he said with a chuckle.

"That's the spirit," Hannah said, before getting a sheepish grin. "Though…admittedly, there is one little complication. Turns out he's a…dextro," she said, referring to the fact that he was a life form with dextrorotatory amino acids in his DNA chain, or DNA chains that rotated in a clockwise direction, rather than a counterclockwise direction like levorotatory amino acids in human and asari DNA did. (1)

Malcolm winced a bit at that. "Ouchie. So he's going to have some special dietary needs then," he said, as Hannah nodded.

"Yeah. Don't worry though, the Council arranged to have shipments of dextro food shipped to us, so we could prepare meals for him. They're shipping some anyways for the turian marines here," she said. "There's actually some in the kitchen already. And with you here…" she trailed off, getting a bit of a devious grin. Between the two of them, Malcolm was a much better cook. Hannah joked sometimes that she could burn ice cream while it was still in the freezer.

Malcolm just chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Of course. Barely home and already you want to shove me into the kitchen," he said, giving her a mock pout.

"Awwww, but you know I reward you for all your hard work," she murmured, wrapping her arms around him as she pressed against him, feeling the shiver that went through his body at her touch and that sexy murmur she used against him. He gently placed his own hands on her hips, moving to capture her lips with his own.

The two shared a loving, deep kiss, before Hannah pulled away, panting softly and grinning. "Wow," she said softly. "I do love those kisses."

He just grinned at her. "Glad to deliver," he said, before turning to the kitchen. "Mmm, guess I should see what we've got to eat around here." He soon disappeared into the kitchen, and Hannah heard him shuffling through the cupboards. "Let's see…well we're plenty stocked, but…looks like a lot of freeze dried or paste stuff for the dextro food…oooh, are these noodles? I didn't know turians had noodles," he said, as Hannah chuckled, already hearing the gears turning in her husband's head. He always did enjoy cooking, and had even mentioned considering opening some small café or restaurant once they retired from the military. Something Hannah was looking forward to, spending her later years with him, doting on some grandchildren. Sighing, she settled into a chair, smiling to herself.

Meanwhile, in Naruto's bedroom, Alicia was giggling. "So are those whisker marks on your cheeks?" She asked, pointing.

Naruto blinked, rubbing the back of his head. "Uuuh…y-yes?" He said, as Alicia grinned.

"That is so cool! And your ears, can you hear really soft things? Like this?" She asked before whispering very quietly.

The young alien boy blinked again, before nodding. "Yeah, actually I can," she said, causing her gasp.

"Wow," she said. "I wish I could hear things like that," she said, before grinning. "So little brother, what do you want to do?" She asked.

Naruto shifted a bit. "Well ummmm…I-I don't know. What do…what do brothers and sisters do?" He asked. "I don't really know."

Alicia grinned at him. "I know! Do you have any toy soldiers, or ships?" She asked. When he nodded, she shot up. "Then you get yours out, and I'll go get mine!" She said, rushing over to her room. Naruto blinked, as he could hear her sifting through boxes, excitedly muttering to herself the whole time.

He slowly began to gather his own toys, getting them out and setting them up, when Alicia came back in with her own toys, grinning. "Great!" She said when she saw his toys. "Now we can have an adventure together!"

"An adventure?" Naruto asked, curious.

Alicia nodded. "That's right. I'll be the awesome Captain Alicia, and you are awesome Captain Naruto. And we go out and save the galaxy!" She said. "Now we just need an enemy!"

Hannah was quietly reading an article from the extranet, the galactic equivalent of the internet, on her omni-tool when she heard loud cheering and explosion noises coming from Naruto's room. Curious, she got up and headed down the hall to said room, and peeked in. She couldn't help but grin as she saw Alicia rushing around, making whooshing noises as she flew a toy spaceship around. "This is Captain Alicia to Captain Naruto! The enemy pirates are sighted!" She said, rushing to where some of the toy ships were set up as the 'pirates'.

Naruto, with his own ships, nodded. "O-Okay Captain Alicia! We're coming!" He said, moving his own ships over.

Hannah just smiled, watching the two 'captains' rout the pirates, obviously doing an amazing job and not losing a single ship or soldier. Afterwards, Alicia grinned. "We did it Captain Naruto! We're heroes!"

Naruto grinned a bit shyly. "Y-Yeah?" He asked only to blink as he sniffed the air. "H-Hey, do you smell something?" He asked.

"That would probably be your dad's cooking," Hannah said from the door, causing the two kids to look up at her. "He's making some dinner right now."

"It smells good," Naruto said, still sniffing the air, as Alicia blinked, sniffing the air as well.

"Aaaw, I can't smell anything," she said, pouting as she crossed her arms.

Naruto looked downcast at that. "S-Sorry," he said, shuffling a foot as he looked down. Hannah blinked as she gently lifted his head by gently pulling up on his chin.

"Hey, what's wrong there?" She asked, as Alicia blinked and looked at Naruto as well.

"Yeah, what's wrong Naruto?" She asked him.

Naruto shuffled one foot. "I-I didn't mean to make you feel bad," he said quietly to Alicia, as Hannah's eyes widened in understanding. Alicia just gasped.

"What?! No, you didn't!" she said, as she suddenly hugged Naruto, who gasped a bit at that, caught off guard. Hannah smiled and nodded.

"That's right, you didn't upset her Naruto. She wasn't really upset, she was just playing around," she said, as Naruto just nodded, standing there as Alicia kept hugging him.

Malcolm popped his head in, grinning. "Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you'd all like to know I've got some dinner here, if you're hungry," he said, disappearing back into the dining room/living room area.

Hannah smiled as she got up. "Alright you two. Go get washed up," she said, as Alicia quickly headed off to the bathroom, with Naruto in tow. Hannah just smiled, heading back to the dining portion of the main room, glad that Naruto and Alicia were getting along so far. She smiled as she saw Malcolm standing there, waiting with her seat pulled out.

"Madame, your table awaits," he said in a fake French accent, making Hannah giggle softly at his antics. He was always a goofball with the family, and she loved every minute of it. She pecked his cheek as she sat down in the chair, allowing him to push her into the table.

Naruto and Alicia soon joined them, clambering up into their seats. Malcolm smiled as he went to get the food, serving up Hannah and Alicia first, and then getting out a large pot that was steaming. "I hope you like this Naruto," he said. "I was experimenting with some of the food for you that we had, and I made this. It's called ramen," he said, as he ladled some broth with long noodles and bits of formerly dried dextro meats and vegetables added in. "I hope you like it," he said again.

Naruto blinked at it, then looked up as Malcolm got his own food, and sat down to eat. "Everyone dig in!" Malcolm said happily.

Naruto slowly picked up a fork, and slid it into the noodles, twirling some onto it. He slowly tasted it, before his eyes widened. He quickly began eating it, and digging into the ramen, happily slurping down the noodles.

Malcolm grinned, cutting into the meatloaf he had made for himself and the others. "Well that's the greatest compliment I could ask for," he said, watching Naruto tear into his ramen. Hannah just smiled and nodded, watching.

Naruto looked up, grinning. "This tastes really good! I love it!" He said, as he went back to eagerly eating his food. Alicia blinked, and then grinned.

"Can I try it?" she asked, only for Hannah to shake her head.

"Sorry sweetie. That's special food for Naruto. He has to eat stuff that we can't eat, okay? So don't try his food, or you'll probably get sick," she said.

Alicia nodded. "Okay mommy!" She said, then dipped a bit of meatloaf into some ketchup and scarfed it down. (2)

Malcolm chuckled softly. "Ketchup. My daughter eats meatloaf with ketchup," he said, as he ate his food. "Don't forget your vegetables," he said, as Alicia pouted, but ate her vegetables.

Naruto had soon finished his ramen, and glanced at the bowl, before looking at Malcolm. "Ummm…i-is there more dad?" He asked softly.

Malcolm smiled and nodded. "There is. Don't worry," he said, getting up, and soon Naruto was enjoying another bowl of ramen, smiling happily as he did so.

"So Naruto," Malcolm said, making Naruto look up, "may I ask what you think of everything you've seen so far?"

Naruto blinked, and scratched the back of his head. "Well, it's all…really weird," he said. "L-Like those really big guys with the strange things on their mouths, and the spiky things sticking out of the back of their heads? They're kind of weird," he said.

Malcolm blinked, and then snapped his fingers. "Oh right, the turians?" He asked, as Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. O-Or the other guys, with the big eyes, and two horn things?" Naruto added, as Hannah smiled at him.

"Salarians. Buy why are they weird?" She asked him.

Naruto sheepishly stirred his food. "Well…t-they look so different," he said, looking down. "I-Is that bad, that I think it's weird?"

"Not really sweetie," Hannah said. "But being different isn't bad though. Wouldn't it be boring if we were all the same?" She asked.

Naruto blinked, and then nodded. "I guess so," he said, as he finished up his ramen.

The others were soon finished eating, and Hannah smiled at them. "Alright then. Time for baths and bed," she said, making Alicia groan.

"Awwww, but mommy! I don't wanna," she whined, as Malcolm chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"Now now sweetie, you need to sleep. Helps you grow up big and strong," Malcolm said with a smile, as his daughter just pouted.

Naruto however dutifully followed Hannah to the bathroom, taking a bath first with her help, and then Alicia had hers afterwards. Once they were both in pajamas, Alicia giggled as she followed Hannah and Naruto to his bedroom. "You gunna tell us a story, mommy?" She asked happily.

Hannah smiled. "Oh? Would you like a story Naruto?" She asked, as the vulzan boy blinked.

"Sure," he said, clambering into his bed and snuggling into it, clutching a stuffed fox toy that had been a gift from Corporal Richter. Alicia giggled as she hopped onto the bed, while Hannah smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Now, let's see then. What story should I tell?" She asked with a smile. "How about the adventures of Captain Alicia?" She asked with a grin, as Alicia clapped her hands.

"Yay!" She said with a happy grin.

Hannah smiled as she started the story, about the brave Captain Alicia and her crew. Naruto and Alicia both sat there, listening, as Hannah told them about the evil pirate king who was attacking a poor colony.

"But then, just as things looked bad, who should arrive but...," Hannah said, grinning as Alicia shot up.

"Captain Alicia!" She said, excitedly hopping off the bed.

"That's right," Hannah confirmed with a smile. "She and her brave crew, including her brother Naruto, arrived in time to stop the pirate king from escaping."

Her daughter grinned happily at that. "Yeah! We shot down his ship!" She said excitedly, pretending to be her ship and shooting down the pirate king's ship. "And then we landed on the planet, and me and Naruto fought the pirate king!"

Naruto just stared, wide eyed, as Malcolm listened from the doorway while Hannah continued. "That's right. He was a big, mean, evil pirate king. And as the brave Captain and her brother approached, he laughed evilly. 'Muhahahaha! So I now face the heroic Captain Alicia, and her brother! Well you won't beat me! Muahahaha'."

Alicia tried to make a fierce face. "Oh yes we will, evil pirate king! Pow!" She said, making a gunshot noise.

Hannah let out a theatrical gasp. "The pirate king grabbed at his chest, and said 'Owww! You shot me! But it's only a wound!' So then the brave Naruto rushed at him, and tackled him to the ground, as Alicia stood on his hand to stop him from drawing a weapon. And together, they captured the evil pirate king, and saved the colony."

"Yay! We saved the day!" Alicia said, grinning at Naruto, who just gave a small smile as well. "When I grow up, I'm going to be a hero! Just like in our stories," she said happily.

Malcolm smiled as he came in and picked her up. "I'm sure you will sweetie," he said. "But don't grow up too fast, alright? Now, time for bed."

Alicia just smiled in her dad's arms, waving at Naruto. "Night little brother!" she said, as Malcolm carried her to bed.

Hannah smiled as she fixed Naruto's sheets, tucking him in. "There we go," she said. "You want me to leave a night light on?" She asked.

"No mommy. I'll be okay," he said softly. "Thank you."

She smiled as she gently ruffled his hair. "Good night Naruto," she said, as she turned to leave.

"Mommy?" Naruto asked, causing her to turn around. "…what are they going to do to me?" He asked softly.

Hannah blinked at him, before shaking her head. "Nothing bad Naruto. They just want to know more about you, and what you can do," she said.

"But…the other people…before I fell asleep and saw you mommy…they did stuff to me…it was scary…," he said, looking down.

Hannah felt her heart ache a bit at the look on that small boy's face, and she moved to him, gently touching his face. "Don't worry Naruto. I'll be there with you, okay?"

Naruto nodded softly. "Okay…thanks mommy," he said softly. "Good night."

She nodded, before gently leaning forward. "Good night Naruto," she said, slowly moving away. She looked back at him, hesitating, before leaving his room, the door closing, as Naruto closed his eyes and cuddled his stuffed fox.

Elsewhere, Dr. T'Nevra was settling into her own quarters, studying a medical report on Naruto while sipping from a glass of Thessia wine. She set the glass down as she focused on some new data regarding his biology that Dr. Kerrick had forwarded to her.

Apparently the boy's muscular and bone structure was denser than that of normal humanoids his age, leading Dr. Kerrick to theorize that his body was capable of withstanding greater force and damage than most other species general could, while simultaneously allowing him greater strength and speed. What was also interesting was that his cellular structure showed a higher regeneration rate then most species were capable of, though it wasn't nearly as capable as krogan regeneration was. Even still, wounds that would keep most people in hospitals for weeks or months would only take hours or days for Naruto to heal from it seemed.

She set the data pad down, sighing as she sat down on the bed in the bedroom of her quarters. More and more, she was becoming worried about the data they found on the boy. Natural biotics, enhanced senses, increased durability and regeneration? It was all sounding like everything those of a military mind would want in a soldier. That was what worried her, that when they finished their examinations and studies, some of those in power would see Naruto not as a young boy, but as a tool, a weapon to be molded towards their desire. And while she had tried to remain objective, she would admit she had a soft spot for the boy. He was so young, lost and alone with none of his race or biological family here to comfort him. All he had was Hannah Shepard, who he had latched onto.

Shaking her head, she got up, taking her glass of wine and finishing it. She would have to wait and see what data they found on Naruto, as well as finish translating from the Prothean databanks. And she would have to hope that when the time came to decide what would happen to Naruto, those in power would remember he was a living being, a young boy, and not only see his worth for their own goals. Changing into a sleeping gown, she murmured as she slipped into bed, blushing lightly as she remembered a few looks she had received from some of the male humans since her arrival here. What was it with human males and their fascination with her species? Shaking her head, she closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

 _Citadel_

"The Batarian Hegemony has lodged another complaint," Councilor Lieran said with a tired sigh. "They're now claiming that the Council is disregarding batarian claims to the Attican Traverse by allowing the Systems Alliance to colonize planets within the Traverse."

"What nonsense. They have no claims to the Traverse beyond what they've colonized so far," Bartimus said with disgust.

Councilor Tevos just nodded, weary as well. "Yes, but they feel that since they had colonies within the Traverse first, they thus have claim to it. They believe humanity's expansion into the Traverse is an infringement upon their so called 'claims'."

Since the Council's extraction of the research team on Therum, and their granting of the planet to the Alliance, the Batarian Hegemony had let their outrage be known. Already they had threatened to halt their exports, as well as registering claims that the Alliance was planning an invasion of batarian space, and their own warnings that they would take any and all measures to ensure the safety of their borders and interests.

Yet despite these threats, the Council was more weary than worried. The Hegemony was little more than a paper tiger, whose military power could not hope to match any one of the Council races own military, let alone all three. And while the Council was not interested in entering into a war with the batarians, they knew that largely, the batarians threats were nothing but posturing and hot air. The worst that could happen would be that the batarians withdrew their embassy and close their borders to the Council races and their affiliates. Hardly a loss when one considered their largest exports were pirates and terrorists, rather than actual goods or necessities.

Still, the constant complaints and threats, as well as the Council attempting to balance the situation to get the best result, was tiring on the three Councilors. Something that was most evident on Councilor Bartimus, whose patience was growing thin.

"While I do agree that we couldn't let the batarians occupy Therum, I still think we shouldn't have given it to the Alliance," he said yet again. "The Alliance and the Hegemony are at odds with each other, and giving Therum to the Alliance escalated the problem. If we had simply asked the Turian Hierachy, we could have established a base there without aggravating the batarians, and our problems would be solved."

"Therum is not in a strategic location to any of our races," Lieran said. "It's on the other side of Alliance space from any of our own territories. None of our three races have interests or colonies in the Traverse, whereas the Alliance does. Giving them the planet was the most logical and easiest way to keep it from the batarians. You know that even with the punishments for hiding Prothean technology from the Council, the batarians would have kept some of the knowledge and technology they found to themselves, and asked for ridiculous compensation for allowing our scientists onto the planet. The Alliance however is much more agreeable on allowing us access to the planet."

"I still don't like this," Bartimus said. "We're giving too much favor to this one race that has only been part of our community for a few years and has done little to earn said favor."

Tevos said quietly. "I understand Bartimus. But we are not going to show this treatment all the time. This is a show of good faith, to make humans more amiable towards us. Afterwards, we can start to work on helping them better fit into the galactic community."

Lieran eyed the Turian Councilor. "Besides, is it possible your mistrust is due more to your race's animosity towards the Alliance for The First Contact War?"

Bartmius's mandibles twitched as his eyes narrowed. "I am mistrustful of any race that could be a threat to the safety and peace of the Council and its allies. And the Systems Alliance is a possible threat."

"Enough…this discussion is not helpful," Tevos stated. "The Alliance is not a threat to anyone unless we cause them to become a threat. For now, we will continue to work with them, and hopefully build a bridge between them and us. Are we in agreement?"

The salarian Councilor nodded, and Bartimus scowled, but eventually the turian Councilor nodded as well. Tevos let out a sigh of tiredness. "Very well then. Let us adjourn for now and get some rest. This has been a tiring day for us all."

The other two agreed, and adjourned, going to rest and contemplate how to handle the problems of the batarians.

 _Terra Nova Research Facility_

Hannah stood quietly in the observation room outside the lab, where Naruto was currently standing in the middle of a full body scanner. The young boy was nervously biting his lip, eyes constantly going to the window, where he could see his mother, and be reassured that she was there if anything should happen. Inside the lab, Drs. T'Nevra and Kerrick, along with several scientists and researchers from the Council and Alliance studied the data from the scanner, looking into better understanding Naruto's higher rate of healing and regeneration.

It had been almost two weeks since Hannah had first introduced Naruto to her family, and she was glad to say that Malcolm and Alicia were growing closer to Naruto. She had been worried that they wouldn't have reacted well to the young alien boy. Instead, both of them seemed to be handling the situation quite well.

Malcolm had been cheerful and polite, helping Hannah explain and teach basic things like reading and writing, along with some vids they had downloaded from the extranet to help Naruto learn. While he still was a bit cautious and wary of Naruto, still coming to terms with his alien 'son', he was taking it in strides.

Alicia however seemed quite happy with the whole situation. When she wasn't busy with her own tutoring programs, due to the fact that she couldn't currently attend any of the nearby public schools due to security reasons, she was constantly hanging around with Naruto, asking him questions, or asking him to play with her. She had been really excited when she saw him accidentally use his biotic powers when dropping a cup, his red biotics barely catching it in time, and had been constantly asking to see more of it, though Hannah put a stop to that, saying it was a bit dangerous for Naruto to do so without proper training.

Hannah was brought out of her thoughts as she heard the soft hum of the scanner die away, and the device slowly stopped. One of the technicians operating it helped Naruto out of the scanning area, and returned his translation bracelet to him, which had to be removed to prevent interference of the scanners. Dr. T'Nevra smiled as she escorted Naruto out of the lab, where he quickly ran to Hannah smiling.

"Was I a good boy mommy?" He asked as he reached her. Naruto was rather eager to make his family happy, going out of his way to try and help them, or make them proud of him. One of the psychologists who were analyzing Naruto's personality and psychological profile believed that this was due to him having a fear of being abandoned, and thus wanting to make his family as happy as possible to ensure they didn't leave him. Hannah just smiled as she gently hugged him.

"You were a very good boy. In fact, I think I'll talk to daddy about making you some more of his ramen," she said, making Naruto cheer. It had quickly become apparent to the Shepards that Naruto was incredibly fond of the ramen Malcolm had made for him, as Naruto often asked for it again and again. Malcolm however had told Naruto that he had to eat a variety of food, to grow big and strong and healthy.

Naruto grinned happily, as Dr. T'Nevra smiled at the sight of that, before remembering something. "Lieutenant, there's something I'd like to talk to you and Naruto about, if you have a moment?" She asked.

As the two of them looked at her, she continued. "I wanted to offer Naruto the chance to learn how to utilize his biotic skills properly," she said. "While none of the asari researchers are highly skilled with our biotics, every asari goes through training in school to at least be able to contain and control their biotic capabilities. If you like, we can do the same for Naruto, so he doesn't have an accident later on."

Hannah blinked at that, and looked down at Naruto, who glanced back up at her, not really understanding what was going on. The Shepard matriarch glanced back up at Dr. T'Nevra, before nodding. "I suppose that would be a good idea. There's not really anyone else who can teach him. When should we start?"

The asari scientist smiled at them. "Don't worry. I'll send you information once we've worked out a schedule. Thank you for hearing me out though, and I hope we can help young Naruto," she said, before turning and heading off.

Hannah just nodded, smiling at Naruto. "She wants to teach you how to better control your red energy," she explained to him, as he blinked, then nodded. Still smiling, Hannah started to lead him back to their quarters, even as Dr. Kerrick watched, and sniffed contemptuously again.

Inside the Shepard's quarters, Malcolm was watching the news on the vidscreen in the wall of the living room, as a human news reporter reported on current events. " _In other news, Ambassador Hugh Michaels, Alliance Envoy to the Council, announced today that he would be stepping down from his position within the next few weeks. When asked why he was making such a move, he stated that due to health problems he was resigning as Ambassador, passing the reins on to his successor, Anita Goyle. Ambassador Michaels was influential in the recent cooperative research venture between Alliance Researchers and Council scientists, leading to the planned colonization of Therum for research purposes. Even now, his actions have opened up potential talks of humanity being given an embassy on the Citadel itself, which will make the System's Alliance the newest Council affiliate race within Council controlled space. Back to you Mary_."

As the news switched over to another reporter, who began reading off a few summarized events as the hour drew to a close, Malcolm grinned as Alicia rushed in. "Is it on yet? Is it?" She asked excitedly.

"Not yet sweetie. It's almost on though," he said, hugging her as she climbed up onto the couch next to him. Alicia grinned at him.

"I hope mommy and Naruto get back soon. They'll miss it!" She said, just as the door opened.

"We're home," Hannah said with a smile as she and Naruto entered, the latter of whom looked at the TV eagerly. Seeing that it was on the news, he quickly took off his shoes and climbed onto the couch on the other side of Malcolm, who smiled at him.

"Well you two are just in time. Alicia's favorite show is about to start. And I'm assuming Naruto's now too," he said with a chuckle, as the news ended. And suddenly, explosions went off on the screen, as an announcer spoke in a loud, energetic voice.

" _Ladies and gentleman, are you ready for action, excitement, and explosions?! Then get ready, because it's time for ARMAX ARSENAL ARENA!_ " The announcer shouted, as recorded cheers went off, while the screen showed a large square arena from a top view, looking down into it as the log of the Armax Arsenal appeared, with _Armax Arsenal Arena_ superimposed over it. " _This week, we've got the highlights of our best matches! Watch as both professionals and amateurs battle it out in competitor versus environment, and competitor versus competitor matches!_ "

The vid soon switched to show four competitors in the middle of what looked like a jungle. The team was made up of two turians, an asari, and a salarian. The two turians both carried assault rifles, while the salarian had a shotgun and the asari carried a pistol. The announcer spoke up, as the four of competitors readied their weapons. " _Our first match saw four new competitors against some classic opponents, a group of pirates and raiders!_ " He said, as a timer started counting down, and several orbs appeared in another part of the environment. The four competitors quickly dashed to the nearest cover, as the timer ran down, and the orbs spawned several figures in fully sealed armored suits, wielding a variety of weapons. (3)

Alicia grinned as she watched the two turians open fire first, nailing two of the pirates and causing them to explode into light. "Yeah, look at that! Got them already!" She said happily, as the salarian pulled out a small orb from a packed attached to his hip, and tapped a few buttons on it. The orb floated, becoming encased in holographic energy that formed into a combat drone, before the salarian tapped some keys on his omni-tool. The drone quickly floated up, charging the spawn point for the holographic pirates, who were now taking cover as well and firing at the four competitors with what seemed like realistic weapons.

Malcolm smiled as he heard his daughter cheering the competitors on. This show, one of her favorites, was made by the Armax Arsenal Company, a turian controlled corporation that created weapons, armor, and omni-tools largely for the turian military, but had also begun adding new equipment that it sold to other races. They had also sponsored the creation of an arena onboard the Citadel, where competitors could choose to compete in holographic simulated environments, against simulated opponents, or against other competitors as well. Of course to avoid injury, all competitors were equipped with specialized weapons that were near perfect replicas of actual modern military and civilian weapons, down to the use of thermal clips to cool the weapons and prolong their ability to fire. The only difference was that instead of firing lethal projectiles, the weapons instead fired practice 'dummy' rounds that simulated the mass and weight of a normal round, but were easily dissipated by kinetic barriers and armor, rendering them harmless against armored opponents. They also couldn't penetrate flesh, but the impact against skin or unarmored people would still hurt quite badly.

The competitor's armor was also modified as well. While the kinetic barriers were similar to those used by soldiers and others, the armor had built in sensors that registered impacts, and used it to register if the hit was mitigated by the armor, or if the hit was a flesh wound, crippling wound, or a 'mortal' wound. Wounds would cause the armor to either slow down or lock up, thus leaving the player 'wounded' or 'dead' if they took too much damage.

Now, the asari popped up, glowing blue as she grunted and hurled a ball of biotic energy at one of the holographic pirates. The ball of blue energy arced around the tree they were hiding behind, slamming into the pirate and throwing them into another tree, where they exploded into light.

Alicia and Naruto cheered at that, before gasping as they saw the asari's kinetic barriers shimmer from another 'pirate' shooting at her and hitting them. Said asari ducked down, as one of the turians quickly shot the pirate, allowing the asari to move to new cover.

Soon enough, the team had cleared the first wave, with one of the turians collecting a bonus crystal that popped up and earning the team more points.

Alicia grinned as she looked at Naruto. "That was so cool! I wish I could do what the asari did!" she said, making a throwing gesture, as if to launch a ball of biotic energy.

"Oh, speaking of which," Hannah said, sitting on the edge of the couch, "Dr. T'Nevra has offered to teach Naruto how to control his biotics," she told Malcolm. "So he won't accidently break anything with them."

"Well that's good," he said, smiling at Naruto, who looked a bit sheepishly. Just yesterday Naruto had knocked over a couple of plates when he let loose an accidental burst of his biotics, accidentally breaking them.

Naruto looked down, as Malcolm hugged him. "Don't worry about it bud," he said, as the second round began.

The team of competitors was doing alright initially, holding their own, until one of the pirates spawned with a rocket launcher, and fired it. The salarian tried to dodge out of the way, but the explosion from it threw him out into the open. The two turians tried to lay down cover fire, but the pirates had them pinned down, as two of them started firing at the salarian.

" _And it looks like Korden is in serious trouble, as two of the pirates start to open up on him while he's out in the open and stunned!_ " The announcer shouted. That is until the asari channeled her biotics, and seeming to disappear, leaving only wisps of biotic energy, before she appeared over the salarian, and released her biotic energy, creating a shield dome around the two of them that began to deflect the weapons fire.

Alicia cheered at that. "Yeah! Look at that! That's so cool!" She said, cheering excitedly as she jumped up, pumping her fist into the air. As she did so, there was a flicker of energy around her fist, a flicker that erupted upwards, creating a brief little flare of energy, and then faded. Alicia didn't notice, and neither did Naruto, too enraptured at watching the asari. But Malcolm and Hannah did, causing both of them to start, and glance at each other in surprise. Hannah's face soon had a small amount of worry, as she looked at Alicia again, praying that what she just saw wasn't what she thought it was. She looked at Malcolm, who gave her a little reassuring nod, as Alicia sat down again, cheering the asari on as said asari was straining to keep the barrier dome up around them, while the salarian got up, and the two quickly moved to cover after the asari dropped the barrier.

Alicia just grinned, watching the match continue. "It would be so cool to do that someday!" She said eagerly, as Malcolm hugged her.

"Maybe one day kiddo. Maybe one day," he said, smiling at her as the team cleared the second round. Yet as he glanced over at his wife, and saw the still slightly worried look on her face, they both knew they'd need to keep an eye on Alicia. Because if they saw what they had seen, it could only mean one thing: Alicia might get her wish of being able to do cool biotic things like her brother.

 _Three months later_

The three Councilors stood in the observation room, watching as a couple of the asari researchers worked with Naruto inside, helping him learn to properly control his biotics, while the boy currently had a small plastic box jerking and floating in the air. Hannah was in the room with Naruto and the two asari, giving Naruto encouragement as he struggled to keep it in the air.

With the Councilors were Drs. Kerrick and T'Nevra, who were summarizing their latest finds and results.

"As you can see, Naruto has already begun grasping simple biotic control in only a matter of months. He's made incredible progress in learning to harness his biotics, which we attribute to this genetic memory of his people. He's able to instinctively utilize his biotics from memories of his parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and so on, doing the same. All he needs to do is practice himself to gain full mastery of his abilities," T'Nevra said with a smile.

"Most impressive," Bartimus said, watching Naruto. "What would you rate his potential biotic power level at?"

"Well it is still quite early to try and rate his biotics, but we do predict he might become a rather powerful biotic. His power levels already are slightly higher than most others we've seen from subjects at his age," Dr. Kerrick said. "His stamina and endurance will also lend themselves to him being able to last longer with his biotics, and if he continues to train himself physically, he'll outlast any other biotic user save for perhaps a krogan. Add to that his rather high regeneration factor, his increased speed, strength, and his denser bone structure and musculature, it is very easy to say that Naruto is a truly incredible specimen. Given the right training, he'd probably be quite a soldier."

Bartimus nodded, watching Naruto. "So it would seem," he said quietly, only for Dr. T'Nevra to glare at Kerrick.

"Councilors, Naruto is a young, scared boy who was torn from his family, experimented on, stuffed into cyro, and only now is truly understanding what it means to have a family. He is the only member of his race that still lives. I do not think carting him off to become some pet soldier is the best answer for him," she said.

"No one is making the suggestion that we do so now. But your experiments and examinations are drawing to a close, aren't they?" Councilor Lieran said. "We will need to decide what to do with the boy once they're done."

"He should be allowed to live a normal life," Dr. T'Nevra said. "Allow him to grow up like a normal child would, and when he's old enough, he came make his own decisions."

"And how do we do that exactly?" Bartimus said. "He is a potentially powerful asset. Are you suggesting we simply leave him in the hands of the Alliance, where they can influence him to their views? It would be best if we had him trained by operatives of the Council. No one group would lay claim to him, and he could serve as a Council Spectre when he's ready. The first one ever to be trained from the ground up to serve and protect the Council and all who dwell in Council space."

Dr. T'Nevra turned to Bartimus. "Councilor Bartimus, the boy is mentally and emotionally fragile. He's like a baby animal. If he's taken from the Shepards, it will traumatize him, causing long term effects that could harm or kill him. Not to mention he is a sentient being. Will you really simply sacrifice his well-being and happiness so carelessly?"

Bartimus scowled at her. "Every turian knows that the good of the people and the Empire comes first. I'm thinking of what's best for the Council."

"No, you're just thinking of what hurts the Alliance the most," Dr. T'Nevra snapped, making Bartimus growl and take a step forward, until Tevos raised a hand.

"Enough! Enough Bartimus. You too Dr. T'Nevra," she said, as the two of them stood down. "I wish to speak to young Naruto first. In fact, I want all three of us," she said, looking at her colleagues, "to speak to him. Once we've done that…then we'll decide what is to be done with Naruto. Understood?"

As Lieran and Bartimus nodded, T'Nevra turned back to look into the room, her eyes worried as she watched the young boy, who was smiling as he set the block down, encouraged by his mother's words, unaware that his fate might soon be decided.

* * *

 **And done. Sorry for the long wait on an update people. I usually crank out a chapter a month, but I got caught up recently trying out the two week free beta test of Final Fantasy XIV Online. Was quite a fun game. If I could afford it, I'd buy it. Hopefully though, I'll be able to get more chapters out soon.**

 **So, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. If you're Mass Effect fans and are hoping we get to the action soon, well I'll try to get to it as soon as I can. But I want to help set up the relationship between Naruto and his family, as well as his place in the ME universe first. Just bear with me a few more chapters, and you'll get what you want.**

 **For those of you still eager for Shinobi's Creed, don't worry. I've been working on the next chapter of that too, and will be putting all my focus on it with this chapter done. Hopefully I can get it done quickly. *Nods***

 **Also, I want to give thanks to Kyuubi123 for his work in betaing this fanfic, as well as thank a new beta, a7xfanatic1195. They've been instrumental in helping me smooth out a lot of ideas so far, because they've got a great grasp on ME lore, both game and other media wise. Thanks for the help, both of you!**

 **And thanks go out again to my friend May-Princess of Hoenn, for getting me hooked on the games in the first place.**

 **1\. In the games, there's quite a huge fuss about how the Turians and Quarians are dextro amino acid based life forms, and pretty much all other forms of life are levo amino acid life forms. When you look it up though, dextro and levo amino acid life forms really comes down to levo life forms having DNA that rotates one way, and dextro's have it rotating the other way. In the games, there's this whole business of how dextro's can only eat food based on dextro amino acids, while levo's can only eat levo amino acid based food. In reality though, a lot of things we humans eat actually have some dextro amino acids in them, showing that they are not toxic. While I will roughly be sticking to what they do in the game, I thought it would be a good idea to clear things up on the realities of that.**

 **2\. Used to do that all the time. *Sheepishly grinned***

 **3\. If you played the Citadel DLC, you'll know that the Armax Arsenal Arena gave you five choices for opponents: Cerberus, Geth, Reapers, Collectors, and Mirror Match (fighting teams made up of Shepards, whom each were one of the six different classes). Considering this is well before any of those entities become actual threats to galactic safety, I had to come up with some new ideas for possible enemies.**


	3. A Tragedy That Bonds

**I'm really surprised at the reception this fanfic has received so far. Two chapters and so far everyone who's reviewed as enjoyed it. I just hope I can continue to impress with my work.**

 **So this chapter has a bit of a time skip at a start. Mostly so I can keep the ball rolling, and not get too bogged down in the early parts here. That's been something I feel slowed down both my Shinobi's Creed and Wizard of Kitsune fanfics.**

 **By the way, if any of you are reading this, and are unfamiliar with anything, please feel free to ask questions. I'll be happy to answer and to try and explain things to the best of my ability.**

 **Also, Geo Soul has a Naruto challenge fanfic for anyone who's interested, so contact them or Jax-naught2.0 about it. I'll be putting up another ad in my Shinobi's Creed fanfic as well.**

 **So, nothing else to say, so I guess we'll move on with the show.**

Disclaimer: The following is a nonprofit fan made fanfiction. Mass Effect is owned by Bioware and EA, while Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. Please support the official releases.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **A Tragedy That Bonds**

 _Benning Colony, Late 2169_

Naruto Uzumaki Shepard ducked under an incoming blow, blocking another before grabbing his opponent's arm and flipped them over, dropping and gripping their arm in an arm lock. The now fifteen-year-old vulzan held onto his opponent, grinning. "You give?" He asked, feeling them struggle.

The now sixteen-year-old Alicia Shepard growled as she tried to lift him up with her arm, but failed. She finally slumped back, panting. "I give," she said, tapping the ground. Naruto grinned as he released her, rolling away in case she tried to get at him again, hopping to his feet as Alicia slowly got up, rotating her shoulder. "Jeez, lighten up on the grapples next time," she muttered.

"Well you do leave yourself open to them sweetie," Malcolm said, joining Naruto and Alicia, while smiling. "I know you prefer straight up striking, but Marine CQC is not just about hitting your opponent. You need to mix it up." Glancing up at the rising sun, he nodded. "We should get back to the apartment. Need to get ready to get you both to your godparents," he said with a grin, ruffling Alicia and Naruto's hair.

Naruto groaned softly. "Right, spending time with Jiraiya the _fohlohk_ again," he said, shaking his head as he slipped into his native tongue for his nickname for his godfather. Malcolm just chuckled as he escorted the two kids out of the park in Joughin, the capital of Benning. It's where they'd go for their morning training and sparring sessions during the weekends.

Naruto quietly smiled as they started to walk back towards their apartment, thinking about things. It had been over five years, nearing six, since he had been discovered on Therum and began his new life with his family, the Shepard's. A life that almost hadn't happened. He shuddered a bit as he remembered when the testing and analysis ended, and the Council was deciding what to do with him. There had been a hearing, where they had begun to discuss his fate.

 ** _Flashback_**

 _Naruto shifted a bit nervously, glancing from Hannah to the three aliens sitting across from him. Besides himself, Hannah, and the unknown asari, turian, and salarian, there was also a human he didn't recognize, as well as Dr. T'Nevra and Dr. Kerrick present as well._

 _The asari, Councilor Tevos, started the meeting. "This meeting is to discuss what is to be done with young Naruto here. Drs. T'Nevra and Kerrick have both informed me that they have learned all that they can from him. As have your own researchers. So now, it is time to decide what is to happen to Naruto."_

 _Naruto blinked at that, and looked questioningly at Hannah. "Mommy, what do they mean?" He asked worriedly._

 _Hannah gently squeezed his hand. "Don't worry Naruto. They're just talking about what's going to happen to you now."_

" _Why would they talk about that?" He asked. "I'm going to live with you and daddy and big sis, right?" He asked, sounding a bit hesitant._

 _Hannah couldn't answer him, so she just gently squeezed his hand, as Bartimus spoke. "Given the importance of Naruto Uzumaki being the last member of an ancient race, and the information provided by the study and analysis of him and the Prothean data found, I believe that he should be brought to a facility where he can be properly raised and trained to serve as a Spectre for the Council. In this manner, not only can we put his talents to good use, but he can serve as an example to everyone, helping to protect Council space and all who dwell within our borders," he said._

 _Naruto looked at Hannah questioningly. "What's a Spectre?" He asked, only to look up as Dr. T'Nevra stood._

" _Councilor, I again remind you of the fact that even if Naruto were a physically and mentally healthy member of his species, it would likely be too dangerous to take him away. Based off the information we've learned from the Prothean data, as well as information from various animal species that exhibit behaviors similar to Naruto, it is highly likely that taking a young vulzan from their parents before they're ready to become independent can cause severe to extreme mental and emotional trauma. Naruto was more than likely mentally scarred when taken from his own family and it was only the presence of other vulzan that kept him sane during his time with the Protheans. Even now though, his mental state is not completely stable, and taking him away from his current family would simply destroy him mentally. If he even survived that happening, he would be of no use to you."_

" _I disagree," Kerrick said. "There is nothing to suggest at all that the subject would react in such a manner. It should be perfectly safe to separate him from his current family. However, I would like to offer a suggestion that before he is taken to be trained as a Spectre, perhaps it might be best to take him to a facility with more advanced medical technology, for more in-depth studies. There's quite a bit about his physiology that could help many lives, or advance the fields of science immeasurably," he added._

" _Will you stop treating him like he's some lab experiment for you to dissect!" Dr. T'Nevra said. "He is a living being, a sentient living being, and should be treated as such! Not some varren for you to poke and prod!"_

" _That is enough," Councilor Tevos said quietly but firmly, silencing both of the doctors. "Ambassador Goyle, do you perhaps have any thoughts?"_

 _Ambassador Goyle glanced over at Naruto and Hannah, before looking towards the Council as she went over her thoughts. She had read all the information on young Naruto, and the results of the tests. She knew about Naruto's connection to Hannah Sheppard and now Hannah's family as well. The boy practically refused to go anywhere without knowledge that Hannah or Malcolm were at least in the next room. She could see his dependency on them, his need for this familial contact. And yet at the same time, she weighed what gaining the Council's favor by agreeing with them would mean. It was all but confirmed that humanity would soon be gaining its own embassy onboard the Citadel, which would give the Alliance more respect and power within the ranks of the Council races and their affiliate races. Not only that, but there was even talk of considering adding a human operative to the elite Special Tactics and Reconnaissance operatives, or Spectre operatives, of the Council. The forerunner for this esteemed position being an officer in the Alliance Navy named David Anderson. It had been quite a surprise when they learned one of the Spectres had anonymously nominated Anderson for the position._

 _Coming to a decision, she spoke. "Councilors, I can understand the positions of both Dr. Kerrick and Councilor Bartimus," she said. "My people are young and inexperienced within the galactic community you all have been a part of for thousands of years. For us to benefit most from young Naruto by having him live with one of our families would more than likely be seen as you favoring my people unjustly. However…young Naruto is also the last of his kind. He has already been ripped away from one family, and utilized in experiments. To subject him to those same circumstances again I believe would be cruel and inhumane," she said. "I would offer my opinion and hope then that this Council consider what is best for Naruto when making its decision."_

 _Bartimus's mandibles twitched slightly, as Tevos nodded, before turning to Naruto. "I believe there is one other we should hear from as well," she said softly. "We sit here, speaking about what to do with Naruto, and yet, we must also consider what he wishes as well."_

" _Councilor, he is a child," Bartimus said, sounding agitated. "He would automatically ask to remain with his 'family'. We must decide what is best for galaxy, not what's best for one child."_

 _Tevos glanced at Bartimus. "And what happens, Bartimus, if he does become mentally traumatized, or dies, because we do take him from his 'family'. How does that benefit anyone?" She asked, as Bartimus glanced away slightly. Tevos turned to Naruto, who had moved closer to Hannah. Deciding to try and calm Naruto a bit, she moved closer, but crouched down. "Naruto? May I speak to you?" She asked softly._

 _Naruto shyly looked up at her, as she continued to speak. "Naruto…I'm not sure how much you understand what's going on here. Do you need me to explain?"_

 _Naruto shuffled a bit. "You're talking about taking me away from my mom," he said softly. "I don't wanna be taken away from her."_

 _Tevos gently shook her head. "Naruto, you need to know how special you are," she said. "You have special talents and abilities, ones that can be used to help a lot of people. Don't you want to do that? Help people?" She asked kindly._

 _Hannah frowned at that, feeling like Tevos was trying to guilt Naruto into agreeing with her. She held her tongue though, knowing she couldn't say anything to the Councilor, not like that._

 _Naruto however just clutched onto Hannah a bit tighter. "I-I wanna stay with my mom," he said, moving as if to hide himself away from her._

 _Bartimus was about to speak, but was stopped by a gentle yet firm hand of Lieran on his shoulder. The salarian Councilor quietly shook his head, while Tevos looked at the boy. She could practically see and feel the fear the boy was experiencing. It was a strong fear, almost palpable and tangible. And she began to realize the truth of the matter._

 _Standing up, she retook her position between Bartimus and Lieran. "…my fellow Councilors…I feel that in the best interests of Naruto, he should be allowed to remain with his family," she said, looking at Bartimus. "I do believe that if we were to separate him from his family at this stage, we would likely cause unspeakable harm to him that would mitigate any advantages or benefits we might gain. Therefore, I move to have Naruto remain with the Shepard family, though the Council will continue to monitor and watch over Naruto."_

 _Bartimus looked stonily at Tevos, before looking towards Naruto. As a turian, he was taught to believe that it was expected to serve the people, and put their well-being ahead of the individuals. To him, it seemed natural that any benefits Naruto could offer, as a test subject or a Spectre, would outweigh the negative impact Naruto might suffer. And yet, as he looked at the boy, he relented. "…very well Councilor Tevos. I second the motion."_

" _I also agree with the motion," Lieran said, giving a slight smile at Naruto. "The young need the guidance and protection of their family, so that they might grow strong enough to protect others."_

" _Hannah Shepard, Ambassador Goyle, we hereby declare that Naruto Uzumaki shall remain in the custody of the Shepard family, who will become his legal guardians from this day forth, as recognized by the Council and all its affiliate races," Tevos said. "This meeting of the Council adjourned."_

 _Naruto blinked, then smiled up at Hannah, happily hugging her tightly, as Hannah gently hugged him. Dr. T'Nevra smiled happily as well, while Kerrick simply gave another sniff and stormed off. Bartimus glanced at the family, and let out a quiet sigh, hoping this decision was the right one. Lieran just gave another smile and nodded, while Tevos watched the happy alien boy._

" _Good luck Naruto," she said, turning and leaving with her fellow Councilors._

 ** _Flashback Ends_**

Afterwards, Naruto had spent several months with various tutoring programs, being helped by Alicia and one if not both of his parents in learning everything he needed to know to catch up with human children around his age. The time spent learning together had helped bond the family more, as they spent time reading and learning together, as well as occasional trips to local or nearby landmarks or museums. Of course it wasn't easy given how Malcolm and Hannah were often being transferred around every couple of years, but it did mean the two children got to see quite a bit of Alliance space.

And they did have each other. Even if Alicia and Naruto weren't able to keep any long term friends, they had grown close as siblings, becoming as thick as thieves. Alicia's energetic and friendly nature had helped Naruto start to come out of the emotional and mental shell he had hidden himself in order to cope with being taken from his biological family and experimented on. And in return, Naruto's more shy and sedate nature had helped reign in her mischievousness and impulsiveness, though he had become her partner in crime in not just pranking their parents, but also pranking students or teachers who ultimately annoyed the pair.

Of course, that's not to say Alicia didn't occasionally annoy Naruto. Like she did right now, as she wrapped an arm around Naruto's neck to get him in a headlock and messed with his shaggy blonde hair. "Well at least I'm still taller then you are, squirt," she said with a grin, making Naruto whine as he tried to get away from her. It was something Alicia liked to lord over Naruto, in a good natured teasing sort of way, that she was taller than him by a couple of inches.

Malcolm chuckled as he poked Alicia's shoulder. "C'mon Alicia, don't tease him about that. You know he's a bit sensitive about his height," he said, as Alicia let Naruto go. Naruto grumbled as he tried to fix his spiky shaggy hair, yet grinned a bit ruefully as he saw his sister's grinning face.

"Now c'mon you two. We need to get back home so you two can shower before Jiraiya and Tsunade arrive," Malcolm said with a grin, stepping up the pace a bit. Naruto and Alicia quickly followed.

"So any idea where they're sending you?" Alicia asked her dad, who shrugged.

"Oh they're just assigning me to the marine detachment aboard one of our warships. There's been some pirate movement near some of our colonies recently, so they want to put more people on the alert," Malcolm said calmly. Despite his tone though, Naruto felt a stab of worry.

"You're going to be careful though, right dad?" Naruto asked quietly, as Malcolm looked at his alien son. He just smiled, wrapping an arm around the two teenagers.

"Of course. Don't worry about it," he said. "Maybe when I get back, we can start progressing to some of the more advanced holds and moves," he added.

"Awesome," Alicia said with a grin, lightly punching Naruto in the shoulder. "C'mon, don't worry about it. Dad's been out on patrol dozens of time."

Naruto nodded quietly. "You're right. Sorry," he said with a smile as they approached their housing. Putting his worries aside, he smiled softly as they entered the house, content with his new life with his family.

 _Citadel_

Councilor Tevos let out a quiet sigh as she settled into the chair at her work desk within her private quarters, quietly activating the terminal. The past few years had not been exactly smooth. Following the Council's decision to let Naruto be adopted by the Shepard family, they had received numerous protests from officials within the batarian Hegemony and turian Hierarchy at the allowance of Naruto being cared for by the new and untested Systems Alliance. Councilor Bartimus had done his best to handle things with his fellow turians, while Tevos and Lieran handled the batarians.

Unfortunately, not that long afterwards, Councilor Bartimus decided it was time to return to Palaven, and serve his people within the Hierarchy. His replacement, Councilor Sparatus, had arrived soon afterwards, and began adjusting to his new role as Councilor. This disruption in the Council's synchronicity was soon made worse by two events.

The first was shortly after the Systems Alliance gained its embassy onboard the Citadel, much to the consternation and complaint of the batarians and volus. With their new place amongst the Council's affiliate races, Ambassador Goyle, at the behest of the Alliance Parliament, had brought forward grievances the Alliance had with the turians for the First Contact War. They stated that during the turian occupation of Shanxi, the turian occupying forces violated Council law by dropping asteroids onto their colony in an effort to wipe out Alliance marines within the colony. Considering the Council had forbidden the use of asteroid drops or firing upon an inhabited or garden world, the turian's actions were thus a violation of the very law they were supposed to uphold.

The scandal that followed only increased tension between the turians and humanity. The turians, angered and embarrassed at this being made public, only grudgingly made reparations in order to save face. However, no public apology for the orbital bombardment of Shanxi was made, a compromise that Tevos and Lieran 'persuaded' Ambassador Goyle to accept.

However, shortly thereafter a second incident caused more tension between humanity and the Council. Humanities Spectre candidate, a young officer named David Anderson, had been sent on a secret mission with his Spectre evaluator, a turian named Saren Arterius. The mission was supposed to be a simple retrieval of a rogue batarian scientist. However, something went wrong during the mission, resulting in a catastrophic explosion within the refinery the batarian scientist was hiding in, leading to the deaths of hundreds of innocent human workers living not too far from said refinery. In his report, Saren blamed Anderson for the situation, stating that Anderson had blown their cover and forced Saren to destroy the facility. Anderson had protested this, stating Saren had blown the facility without any reason for doing so, but the Council, not wishing to create another public scandal, labeled the entire incident an industrial accident, and swept everything under the rug. The files were sealed, and Anderson's chances at becoming a Spectre were eradicated. While the public had no idea anything had happened at all, the Alliance and the human politician's privy to the info had felt that they had been cheated out of a chance to show the galaxy what they could do by the Council.

Since then, the bond Tevos had hoped to build between the Council and humanity seemed to slowly deteriorate. What goodwill and cooperation had been forged through the joint endeavor on Therum and with regards to studying Naruto was done away by militant turians aggravating problems with humans, and with human centric groups like the Terra Firma political party continually holding protests over the occupation of Shanxi, and other rallies opposing the 'appeasers and their alien masters'.

If that wasn't enough, Lieran had recently stated his decision to retire, and return to the salarian Union. He was starting to reach the end of his life span, since due to their high metabolism salarians usually only live for forty years. But still, the loss of him from the Council so soon after Bartimus left and Sparatus joined simply meant more problems for the Council as a new salarian representative was brought in. While Tevos was used to changes in fellow Council members, having been the asari representative long enough now to have seen several fellow Councilors come and go, this level of disruption was greater and more taxing than any before. And it would possibly grow worse.

Rumors and some unconfirmed reports from the salarian Special Tasks Group, or STG for short, had led her to believe the batarians were possibly planning something. At this time she couldn't be sure what it was, if anything at all. But still, given the antagonistic nature of the relationship between batarians and humanity, Tevos knew that the troubles she was facing currently would likely only grow worse.

Shaking her head, she turned to the only report that had any form of good news. The Alliance had been continuing to send reports and updates on Naruto's status to the Council, and so far, the alien boy was doing quite well with his family. He seemed to be growing in a happy, well adjusted young man, for which Tevos was thankful. She made a note to continue watching the boy, to see if he had any inclination towards a military career once he reached maturity. It could still be possible to bring the boy in for the Spectre's, and gain a powerful operative. Finishing the note, she set it aside, and set to work on the next report before her.

 _Benning Colony, one week later_

Naruto let out a quiet sigh as he sat on the low wall that flanked the stairs leading up to the local high school he and Alicia were currently attending. Around them, students were leaving the school, heading to the buses or sky cars that would be taking them home, or meeting up with friends to walk back home. Naruto himself was currently waiting for Alicia, trying to keep his gaze lowered to the steps while the hood of his hoodie was up to hide his features.

School life was not exactly easy for Naruto. Being the sole alien in a school of humans tended to make him stand out, even though he looked more like a human than any other alien currently in the Milky Way Galaxy. Naruto, still feeling shy and nervous around new people, had a very hard time making friends. When you add in how it was human and teenager nature for them to tend to shy away or isolate people who were different, it made for a rather lonely experience in school. A few people had seemed interested and tried to talk to him or get to know him better, but it rarely turned into anything more than just some polite conversations. His situation was made worse though by the fact that he was a rather easy target for bullies.

Such as now, as he saw three pairs of feet stop in front of him. Mentally gulping, he raised his eyes, and let out a mental groan as he saw Ted Crankston, his current worst bully, and his two cronies. All three were grinning, in the way that made Naruto want to curl up. "Well well well, if it isn't fox boy," Ted said out loud, drawing the attention of other students. Some glanced at them, and moved away, while others stopped to watch. Naruto just hunched down a bit, biting his lip.

"H-hey there Ted," he said quietly. "You need something?" He asked. (1)

"Indeed I do," Ted said with a smirk. "We've got that report in Galactic History about the bird people's Unification Wars that's due next week. My friends and I are really looking forward to getting A's on it, aren't we guys?" He asked, as his two friends snickered. Ted looked back at Naruto. "I'm sure you're just as eager to see us get A's, aren't you?"

"A-All three of your reports?" Naruto asked, his eyes going wide. "B-But I've got my own to do, and with everything else, I-," he said, only to yelp as Ted grabbed the front of his jacket, lifting him up slightly.

"Now now, you're not being ungrateful for all the good I do for you, are you?" Ted asked with a bit of a snarl, as Naruto shook his head. He didn't want any problems or confrontations, and in exchange for basically doing Ted's work for him, Ted in turn ensured no one gave Naruto any problems about being…'unique'. If Naruto were to fail to deliver though, Naruto knew his time at school would be almost like torture.

He was about to speak when a hand clamped onto Ted's, making him groan softly in pain and let go of Naruto. The alien boy stumbled and glanced up, seeing Alicia standing there, one hand gripping the bully's wrist. "You got a problem with my little brother?" She asked nonchalantly, even as her grip tightened a bit.

Ted grimaced a bit, trying to pull his wrist free. "No problem here," he stated, glaring at Alicia, who just smiled and released his wrist.

"Good," she said, before slinging an arm around Naruto's neck. "C'mon, let's get home before the old man drives granny Tsunade insane," she said with a grin, pulling Naruto away.

Naruto let out a quiet sigh of relief, as he walked alongside his sister, their home on Benning being close enough to the school for them to walk. As he did so, Alicia lightly punched his arm. "When you going to stand up for yourself? You know I can't keep saving your butt all the time," she said, her voice playful but with a hint of frustration and worry in it.

Naruto shrugged a bit. "I just don't want to cause any problems," he said. "Plus I don't want to draw attention to myself. Kind of had enough with people staring at me because…well…I don't look like them," he added quietly.

Alicia stopped at that, frowning. "Naruto, you can't be afraid of being yourself," she said. "C'mon, you're awesome and unique! Be yourself; don't fret about others making a big deal about it."

Naruto shrugged, glancing down. "I'll try," he said softly, only for Alicia to yank down his hood, trap him in a headlock, and start to semi-gently noogie him.

"Nope, I want a promise little bro! Promise me," she said with a grin.

"Okay, okay, I promise I'll try," Naruto said, squirming as Alicia grinned at him, letting him go.

"Good enough. Now c'mon, let's get home before Granny Tsunade kills the old pervert," she said with a chuckle.

Naruto chuckled as well, thinking about the odd couple he had met some three years ago.

 _ **Flashback**_

 _A twelve –year-old Naruto shifted a bit uncomfortably, standing close to Hannah as they waited for the arrival of a pair of guests. Hannah and Malcolm were going on a brief weekend getaway, to spend time as a couple, and as such, had called in a couple of old friends to watch over Alicia and Naruto._

 _Hannah hoped Naruto would be alright with Jiraiya and Tsunade. She trusted them both implicitly, as did Malcolm. They were Alicia's godparents after all. Jiraiya was a retired Alliance officer, who had been Hannah's commanding officer when she first graduated from Boot Camp. He had become a mentor to her, and they had become friends as she rose up the ranks. However, a bad battle with some pirate raiders had left Jiraiya badly wounded, and forced him off active duty within the Alliance military. Deciding instead to retire, Jiraiya took up being a writer, though his choice of genre was…questionable to say the least. Jiraiya had started writing a series of 'steamy romance' holo-novels which became incredibly popular, leading to him and his wife Tsunade Senju, one of humanity's foremost medical experts, to live quite comfortably. When Alicia had been born, Hannah had been quite happy in naming her mentor and old friend the godfather of her daughter, and Tsunade had been happy to take on the role of godmother._

 _Now, those same two people were coming to watch over Alicia and Naruto while she and Malcolm spent some time together, both having some leave time they were using. She smiled as she heard the door chime, and Malcolm answered it._

 _Alicia burst into giggles as she saw a rather tall and broad man with white shaggy hair bound into the room, giving off a goofy grin. "The stars tremble and villains weep as I take the stage. Men cry with jealously as women swoon before me! I am the one and only Jiraiya!" He shouted, doing a weird little hopping dance._

 _Before anyone could react though, he was blasted back by a relatively small ball of red biotic energy, as Naruto , terrified of the strange man dancing and shouting, had reacted instinctively and sent a blast of biotic energy that sent Jiraiya flying back out of the room. Alicia and Hannah could only burst out laughing at the sight of the dazed Jiraiya slowly sitting up, his hair blown all over the place, while Naruto huddled fearfully behind Hannah._

" _I told you to be normal, you idiot," said a woman who entered behind Jiraiya, rolling her brown eyes while setting aside the coat she had been wearing, revealing a blouse that seemed to be straining from her rather gifted chest, and a pair of mid-calf length pants. She shook her blonde hair out, flipping the two loose ponytails she had her hair in back behind her head, before entering and smiling warmly at Alicia. "Ahhh, that's my favorite goddaughter," she said with a smile as Alicia rushed up and hugged her. "And I take it this is Naruto?" She asked, wrapping an arm around Alicia while smiling at the young alien boy hiding behind Hannah._

" _Yes, this is him. Sorry, he's really shy around new people," Hannah said, as Naruto hugged her leg._

 _Tsunade just smiled as Alicia let her go and she crouched down so she was level with Naruto. "Hey there sweetie. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," she said. "My name is Tsunade."_

" _But you can call her Granny," Hannah said, making Tsunade flinch as she turned her gaze on Hannah, one of her eyebrows twitching. "Oh c'mon, you know you love it when Alicia calls you that," she stated._

 _Tsunade took a deep breath, but then gave a slightly rueful grin. "I suppose, but I don't like being made to feel old," she said, even as she ruffled Alicia's hair._

 _Naruto slowly looked out, and seeing how friendly Alicia was with Tsunade, slowly moved forward. "I-it's nice to meet you, T-T-Tsunade," he said, having a bit of a hard time pronouncing her name._

 _Tsuande smiled as she gently held out a hand to the boy. She had intended to let him cautiously take it, but was instead surprised when he slowly sniffed it, and seemed to relax a bit, moving closer and gently taking her hand. She shrugged and smiled, only to give a sigh as Jiraiya came into the room, rubbing his head. "You going to calm down now you old pervert?" She asked, as Jiraiya chuckled._

" _I'll try sweetie. I'll try," Jiraiya said, as Naruto blinked at that._

" _Pervert?" He asked curiously, as Tsuande got a dangerous but mischievous look in her eyes._

 _ **Flashback Ends**_

Since that day, Jiraiya and Tsuande had become semi-constant fixtures in Naruto's life, sending them e-mails and vid mails every so often, and visiting for holidays, or the Shepard family going to visit them. Naruto had quickly gotten over his fear of them, especially Tsuande who he had happily accepted and grown close to, even calling her 'Granny', much to both her chagrin and enjoyment. Jiraiya had also gotten his own nickname as well after that first initial visit, with Naruto calling him 'fohlohk', the vulzan world for pervert. Only Jiraiya was ignorant of its meaning, which made it hilarious when he mistook it as a sign of affection rather than an insult.

Naruto chuckled softly as they turned onto their street. "Heh, knowing Granny, she's probably already smacked him at least three times today for working on his newest smut book," he said, getting a laugh out of Alicia as she thought about that mental image.

The two of them both made it to the front door of the house when Naruto stopped, blinking as his ears twitched ever so slightly. "…someone inside is crying," he said.

Alicia frowned and quickly opened the door, entering quickly and shutting it behind them. "Hello? Jiraiya? Granny?" Alicia called out.

"We're in the living room," Jiraiya responded, his voice holding none of its usual mirth. They could hear a woman crying in there, as well as another female voice softly murmuring.

Dropping their bags, they both rushed into the living room, stopping as they made it to the entranceway. Jiraiya was standing behind the couch, on which they could see Tsuande doing her best to comfort a distraught Hannah. Naruto stopped cold, his eyes widening as he saw his mom. Somehow, as he saw her hunched back, he just knew something horrible had happened.

Alicia quickly rushed over. "Mom?! What are you doing back? What's wrong?" she asked, quickly moving around the couch and dropping next to her. Hannah just broke down again, fresh tears falling as she grabbed onto her daughter and hugged her close.

Naruto quietly approached, moving next to Jiraiya, who quietly began to speak. "The colony of Mindoir was hit yesterday," he said softly to Naruto and Alicia, as Hannah kept hugging Alicia. "It was a massive raid, unlike any seen before. Batarian pirates and slavers hit the colony in force. The _Einstein's_ task group was the first to respond, but by the time they got there, the batarians were dug in. The marines that hit ground side…it was a massacre. Those that didn't stay down were killed, while the batarians rounded up the majority of the colonists and escaped."

Naruto bit his lip. "Jiraiya…was…was dad…?" he couldn't ask what he wanted to, as Alicia looked up sharply at the implication, her eyes wide.

"Your father's unit was one of the first to hit groundside," Jiraiya said, his voice almost emotionless. "Their CO was killed almost instantly, and Malcolm…he tried to rally the men and charge the batarians… a Lieutenant Zabaleta saw him get cut down…" he said quietly.

Alicia gaped at him, and then looked at her mom. "…t-that's….d-dad's just injured right? He's not dead…he can't be dead," she said, as Hannah sobbed softly.

"I'm sorry Alicia…your dad…Malcolm…h-he didn't survive," Tsunade said softly, her own eyes watering.

Naruto felt like someone had punched him in the gut, staggering back slightly, only to feel Jiraiya's hand support him. He looked up at the older man, seeing for the first time the aged, serious face of his godfather that somehow was always hidden by his goofy antics. He trembled softly, feeling himself go numb as he tried to understand what he had just heard. His father…his father was dead?

Alicia was shaking her head. "No…no he can't be dead,' she said, trying to stand up. "He's not dead. Stop lying," she said.

Tsunade reached out to her. "Alicia, please…your mother-," she started, only to be stopped by Alicia.

"Stop joking around! This isn't funny!" She shouted, standing up after getting out of her mom's grasp. "This joke isn't fucking funny! Dad isn't dead! HE CAN'T BE DEAD!" She screamed at them.

"Alicia, I'm sorry, but he's dead. You can't deny it," Jiraiya said, as Alicia glared at him.

"SHUT UP! YOU'RE LYING! HE'S NOT DEAD! HE CAN'T BE DEAD! HE SAID HE WAS COMING BACK!" She shouted, tears starting to fall from her face. "WHY ARE YOU LYING?! WHY ARE YOU-?!" She was interrupted by Hannah grabbing her and pulling her into a hug.

"H-He's dead sweetie," she whispered, even as she cried. "I-I'm sorry…b-but he's dead," she whispered.

"N-No…n-no no no no no," Alicia whimpered out. "H-He can't be mom…h-he can't…" Alicia broke down at that point, crying with her mom as she wrapped her own arms around her tightly.

Naruto slowly moved forward, joining them as he hugged them both. He still felt numb, and yet part of him knew that he had to do this. He had to comfort his mother and sister. He held onto them tightly, closing his eyes as he felt the both of them sob in his arms, frantically hugging and holding onto each other, as Tsunade and Jiraiya quietly watched the three of them hold each other close in their grief.

 _Council Chambers_

The Council found itself faced with a chaotic situation. As soon as news had reached them of the raid on the Mindoir colony, Ambassador Goyle had requested an emergency meeting with the Council. Not surprisingly, she had also 'requested' the batarian Ambassador be present as well.

Now, Ambassador Goyle was standing before the Council, making her case. "Councilors, the attack on Mindoir was blatant act of hostility, if not outright war, by the batarian Hegemony against my people. Countless Alliance citizens were kidnapped to be sold into slavery, while close to fifty Alliance Marines and hundreds of civilians were killed. This act of aggression cannot go unanswered. We respectfully ask for the Council's aid in bringing sanctions against the batarian Hegemony, if not military action," she stated, trying her best not to send glares to Ambassador Gorrsh.

The batarian ambassador scoffed. "These were not actions of my government. They were slavers, people living outside the laws and jurisdiction of the Hegemony. The ambassador has no right to demand anything of my government or against my government," he stated.

"They were your citizens! And even if they were not acting under your orders, undoubtedly your people benefit from it. Who else but the Hegemony has use for slaves, considering it is illegal within Council Space," Ambassador Goyle shot back. "The majority of raids conducted against Alliance colonies and interests have been small raids that are easy enough to pass off as simple pirate or gang attacks, but the attack on Mindoir was of a size and undertaking too great for a simple criminal element. The slavers not only had a massive force at their disposal, but were armed with military hardware used by the batarian military. If the Hegemony did not order the attack, they still supplied it," she stated.

"If the Alliance cannot protect its citizens, then perhaps they should reconsider colonizing worlds, especially when those worlds had already been claimed by other governments," Gorrsh retaliated, only to be stopped by Tevos.

"Even still Ambassador, it was citizens of your government and people who conducted this raid. If the ones responsible for these atrocious actions cannot be held responsible, then your government should make reparations for the lives lost and affected. Unless of course your government is willing to help track down the slavers and hand them over to the Alliance for justice, as well as aid in the rescue of the kidnapped colonists," she stated.

Gorrsh's eyes narrowed as he confronted the Council. "The Hegemony will not be paying any reparations to the Alliance," he spat out. "Not when the Alliance has committed egregious acts against us. They have taken our worlds and resources from us. And yet the Council refuses to curb their expansion into what is our territory. If the Council refuses to take action against the Alliance, and instead favor them and side with them, then my government has only one course of action." He brought up his omni-tool, typing in a few commands. "The batarian Hegemony is formally withdrawing from the Council as one of its affiliate races. As of this moment, no form of alliance exists between the batarian Hegemony, and any of the Council races or their affiliates. Good day," he said, delivering the documents before turning and storming off.

The three Councilor's could only stare in shock at the retreating form of the batarian ambassador. While the batarians were not the first race to leave the coalition of Council affiliate races, they were the first ones to do so willingly. The krogan and quarians, the other two races to lose their embassies, had said embassies and affiliate status revoked in the wake of the krogan rebellions and the geth uprising respectively. The batarians were the first race to willingly leave the Council. It was not necessarily any great loss, as the batarians offered little to the Council beyond a military and economy that had been on the decline for the past few centuries. But still, to have a race willingly withdraw from the Council affiliate races was shocking.

Ambassador Goyle also watched the batarian ambassador storm off, clenching her hands as she did so. She turned to the Council members, who all still look shaken. "Is there any action we can take now?" She asked them.

Sparatus was the first one to speak. "While we are disgusted by the actions of the slavers who attacked your planet, there is little we can do now. While they remained one of our affiliate races, we could put political pressure on them, but now that they are a separate entity, we have no pull or control over them. And the Council is not eager to enter into a conflict which does not concern it."

"Does not concern it? One of your affiliate races was attacked. You won't do something to help us?" Goyle asked, stunned and furious.

"We will be happy to offer what services we can to help the survivors of Mindoir, but we will not send a fleet into the Traverse in what seems to be a matter that only affects humanity," Sparatus said. "If the Hegemony declares war on humanity, we will offer supplies and perhaps military aid should the war expand to include the Council races. But considering this has only been pirate raids so far, you must handle the situation since it so far only affects your people."

Tevos, shaking off her stupor, spoke. "Councilor Sparatus is correct," she said quietly. "The Council cannot become involved in affairs within the Traverse that does not concern it. It could cause not only war with the…newly rogue Hegemony, but could also incite the criminal gangs and pirate forces in the Terminus Systems to act out against the Council races and our affiliates. I'm sorry Ambassador, but we must look to the safety and well being of all who fall under our jurisdiction, not just one race."

Ambassador Goyle stiffly nodded. "I understand," she said, her voice emotionless.

Councilor Tevos let out a sigh. "I believe that will be all for today. We must handle the situation with the batarians leaving," she said, as she turned to leave, followed by the other two Councilors. Ambassador Goyle watched them leave, before turning and stiffly marching away.

 _Benning Colony_

In the weeks following the attack on Mindoir, the Alliance military had gone on high alert. Outlying colonies had made ready to evacuate at a moment's notice, while their garrisons doubled their patrols and readied themselves to defend or evacuate their colonies. The fleets had been mobilized round the clock, ships ready to launch at a moment's notice to intercept any pirate or raider ships, or even a batarian invasion force. In fact, the heightened state of the Alliance military had led to the eradication of three separate raider groups who believed the aftermath of the Mindoir colony attack would be a good chance to attack human colonies or merchant ships. Instead, the highly alert Alliance responded with a viciousness not before seen; only taking prisoners from the raider groups to interrogate on the location of slaver, pirate, or raider groups.

News had also spread about the Council's unwillingness to move against the batarians, or to even help the Alliance deal with the criminal groups within the Traverse that could continue to threaten human colonies. Quite a few citizens, feeling the fresh emotional wounds of Mindoir, had grown quite angry at the Council's blatant refusal to help them out, with some of the more xenophobic people protesting that they should withdraw from the Citadel and strike out on their own. Others were screaming for war with the batarians, to avenge Mindoir. Ultimately though, the Alliance knew its position was not strong enough at the current time to go to war with the batarians. While military intelligence estimated that the batarians military strength was lower than the Hegemony claimed, the Alliance was still building up its own strength, and was not yet ready to fight a war.

None of this ultimately mattered to Naruto or Alicia. All that mattered to them was the fact that their father was dead. The two of them had been excused from school, to give them time to mourn Malcolm Shepard's death, along with their mother Hannah. Malcolm's body had been returned to them, and they had followed his last request, taking him to Earth, where he had been born, for his burial. During the funeral, Naruto had remained silent and strong, supporting his sister and mother as best he could. He wasn't sure how he knew what he needed to do, but he simply knew that right now, he needed to be the strong one, for both of them. As much as he saw Malcolm as his dad, he had been Alicia's real biological dad, and Hannah's husband. He knew those two were closer to Malcolm, and thus were suffering more from his lost. So he did his best to help them both.

Hannah currently had been reassigned to a desk job on Benning, and been given light duty so that she could properly mourn the death of her husband and be mentally and emotionally evaluated, to judge her fitness to return to the field. It had been a trying time for her, but when she saw how Naruto was doing his best to comfort both her and Alicia, she knew she had to try and be strong as well, for her children. While she was far from okay, she did her best each day to get through it, so that she could be there for Naruto and Alicia, the way Naruto was for the two of them.

Alicia however was having a harder time. The energetic girl now seemed to listlessly pantomime her daily routine, simply getting up, eating, and doing things for the sake of doing them. When she and Naruto eventually returned to school, she had been silent, simply going to her classes, doing the school work, and heading home.

Naruto let out a quiet sigh, as he sat down next to Alicia during the lunch period in the open courtyard that most students preferred eating in when the weather was fine. It had been three days since they had returned to school, and three and a half weeks since they learned Malcolm was dead. He sadly watched as his sister quietly but mechanically ate, her eyes barely moving at all as she looked down at the food in front of her. Naruto glanced at his own food, a bag lunch of dextro food, before trying again to snap his sister out of her funk. He pulled out a couple of vegetable sticks and stuck them on his canine teeth, so they looked like extra long teeth, and gently poked Alicia's shoulder. When she glanced up, he grinned. "Hey look sis, I'm a walrus," he said with a grin, making a throaty barking sound.

Alicia just looked at him, before glancing back down at her food, mechanically eating again, as Naruto lost his grin, and pulled the 'teeth' out of his mouth. He glanced down at his own food, before speaking. "Alicia…I know you're really hurting right now…but…please…I need you back sis…I'm trying so hard not to break down, but…I can't lose you too…please Alicia…I can't lose you too," he said, his voice cracking as he spoke.

Alicia paused for a moment, still looking at her food but not mechanically eating it anymore. She kept staring at it for some time, not moving, but not speaking either. Naruto was about to speak when a loud voice echoed through the courtyard. "Hey Shepards!"

Naruto turned to see Ted Crankston walking towards them. Naruto somehow had been able to avoid the bully for the past couple days, but it seemed that said teenage boy had finally found them. Undoubtedly he was pissed he and his friends didn't get their reports. And at that moment…Naruto didn't care.

"What do you want Ted?" He said in a low voice, one that had a dangerous growl to it, as he slowly stood up, his eyes hidden by his bangs, while he slightly trembled.

"Look, we need to talk-," Ted started to say; only to yelp as Naruto's hands grabbed the front of his shirt and he was yanked into the air. Naruto's eyes were now locked onto his, and he could see in them a blazing fury he had never seen in the usually shy and meek boy. His eyes widened as he saw the boy's blue eyes actually start to become purple, while wisps of red biotic energy began to swirl around Naruto.

"Talk?! Talk about what Ted?! About how I didn't get you your damn reports?! I'm sorry, I was a little distracted by the fact that my fucking dad was killed! I was a little distracted by my traumatized sister, in case you didn't fucking notice! So I'm sorry I didn't write your damn reports for you!" Naruto roared out, as everyone around them could only stare in amazement and some horror. They all had known the alien boy to be rather shy and meek. But this boy in front of them…they could feel and see the power he had, the anger, nay the rage in his voice.

Ted was gasping for breath, feeling the pressure of the power this boy wielded, as he struggled to speak. "N-No…t-that wasn't it…I-I wanted to say…wanted to say…"

"Say what Ted?!" Naruto demanded angrily.

"That I'm sorry," Ted finally got out, making Naruto stop for a moment, before lowering Ted so his feet touched the ground.

"What?" Naruto asked, still feeling the rage and adrenaline, but also feeling confusion, as Ted looked down and away.

"I wanted to tell you both…how sorry I am, about what happened to your father," he said quietly. "And…I guess I wanted to apologize to, for how I've been treating you this whole time."

Naruto, panting ever so slightly, narrowed his now vibrant amethyst eyes. "Why do you care?" He asked, his tone still dangerous.

Ted took a deep breath. "My uncle…I was pretty close to him. He was a mechanic here on Benning. After my father ran off, my uncle…he was there for me and my mom. He was like a dad to me…and then four years ago, he was killed in an accident at the spaceport. So…I know what it's like, to lose someone who's like a father to you…or is a father to you," he said. "That's why…I wanted to tell you how sorry I am, about your father dying."

Naruto just looked at him, eyes narrowed slightly, before he responded. "Yeah…thanks," he said quietly, turning back to his sister.

Ted just nodded, as he turned and left, as everyone around them muttered, surprised and still shocked at what had happened. A few teachers who had been watching quietly left as well, not seeing any reason to intervene since no one had been hurt.

Naruto meanwhile just sat next to Alicia, taking deep breaths as he tried to calm down, his eyes slowly turning blue again as the red biotics around him faded. He stopped though when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and a quiet voice said "That was pretty cool, little brother."

His eyes shot up, and he found himself looking into Alicia's eyes, as she gave him a very small, weak smile. "A-Alicia?" He asked, surprised to see her showing any emotion.

"Yeah," she said softly, the smile fading as she looked at him. "A-are you…are you okay?" She asked.

"I should be asking you that," Naruto said. "You've been…you've been almost catatonic since…well the funeral," he said softly.

"Yeah…I know," she said quietly, looking down. "I just…I guess I just…I couldn't handle it," she said softly, trembling as her eyes watered. "It…it was…it…" she finally broke down, starting to cry and sob, as Naruto wrapped her up in his arms, holding her close, letting her cry into him as the dam finally burst, and the emotions she was holding in were finally released.

The bell rang, indicating that lunch was over, and the students began to head off to their next classes. But neither Naruto nor Alicia moved, as Naruto sat there, comforting his still sobbing sister, letting her work out all her emotions. A hall monitor drone came by, saw them, and headed off to alert a teacher but likely any teacher would understand, so it didn't worry Naruto.

Eventually Alicia began to calm down, still sniffling and sobbing softly. She slowly pulled back, wiping her eyes. "T-Thanks," she said, giving him a weak smile. "Sorry about getting you all wet."

"Hey, no problem," Naruto said. "I'll just smell like wet canine for a bit," he joked, causing Alicia to let out a soft laugh.

"Seriously though Naruto…thanks for not…for not letting me go," she said, looking down.

He just patted her shoulder. "You've always been there for me when I needed it sis…I'm going to do the same for you, no matter what."

She smiled up at him, her eyes a bit red and puffy, but her face starting to fill up with emotion again. "And I'll be there for you too," she said. "Though…if you're going to be all badass and stuff like you were during lunch, you may not need me anymore."

Naruto chuckled softly. "Don't worry Alicia. I'm always going to need my big sis," he said, before standing up and offering her his hand. "Feel like heading to class?"

Alicia took his hand, using it to help herself up. "Yeah. Let's go," she said with a gentle nod, as the two of them headed off to class.

 _Benning Colony, 2172_

"And so today, we honor the students who have graduated from Terrence Howard's High School. I give you the graduating class of 2172!" The principal of the school said as the students and their families stood, clapping and cheering, The students all threw their hats into the air in celebration, only to gasp as a ball of red energy shot up as well like a firework, before exploding in a shower of dispersing biotic energy.

On the ground, an eighteen year old Naruto as he watched his display, while next to him his sister crossed her arms, letting out a 'hump'. "Showoff," she muttered, as Naruto grinned down at her, now standing at six feet to her five feet nine inches.

"Awwwww, is someone sore they can't do that yet? Or maybe they're still sore their little brother is taller than them?" Naruto asked with a grin, as Alicia stuck her tongue out at him, but then grinned and hugged him.

Soon enough, Hannah, Jiraiya, and Tsunade joined them, grinning as they approached them. "Well done you two!" Jiraiya said, clapping them both on the shoulders.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you," Hannah said, smiling as a few tears fell from her eyes as she hugged her children to her. The past few years had been tough for her, with Malcolm's death, but her children had kept her going, and she knew she had to be strong for them, the way they were for her.

"Thanks mom," Naruto said, smiling warmly and happily at his mom, as Alicia grinned as well. "Thanks, all of you. Even you, you old fohlohk," he said to Jiraiya, making the old man pout.

"You're going to have to tell me what that means," he said, as Tsunade just smirked, knowing what it meant.

"Don't worry, it fits you perfectly," she said, winking at Naruto. "So…you guys looking forward to what comes after high school?" She sked.

"You know it," Alicia said. "In fact…we both know what we want to do now that we've graduated."

Hannah blinked at that in surprise. "You do? What?" she asked.

Naruto and Alicia looked at each other, knowing that their choice would probably surprise their mom, and not in a good way. But all this past year in high school, they had both talked it over with each other, and they knew that this is what they wanted, to honor their father. They both looked to their mother and their godparents, as Naruto spoke.

"We want to join the Alliance military."

* * *

 **Some might consider that a bit of a weird place to end, but I think it works well for what I've got. Sorry about this chapter taking a while to get out, I was working on both this and my Beast Wars chapter at the same time, so it slowed me down. However, if all goes well, you should get two fanfics updated this month, so I hope that makes up for it.**

 **So…hate this chapter? Love it? I think it's an alright chapter, but I'm biased so it could really be horrible. Guess we'll see what you the readers think.**

 **I hope you all continue to enjoy this fanfic, and please keep reading. I promise we're going to get some action next chapter, and soon enough, the real story is going to begin, so just hang in there.**

 **Thanks go out again to my awesome beta's, Kyuubi123 and a7xfanatic1195 for their work in editing my mistakes and making this fanfic better.**

 **Till next time readers!**

 **1\. So before a lot of you start shouting 'why is Naruto being a push over and stuff', hear me out. Considering everything he's been through, the kind of emotional trauma and scarring and such from being ripped from his biological family, experimented on, then frozen and waking up in a strange new world, he's going to have some emotional and psychological issues. So while this may not seem anything like Naruto, not even sharing basic similarities, I am going to have him grow into something better. Just watch.**

 **Fohlohk=pervert**


	4. Skyllian Blitz

**Well, didn't quite get the reaction I was expecting from last chapter, but you all seemed to enjoy it, and that's good enough. Was just surprised how few people seemed to react to Malcolm's death. Then again he was barely in the fanfic for more than a chapter, so I guess most people wouldn't be that messed up over it.**

 **So for those of you who played the games, this chapter should bring about a familiar event you've heard a lot about. For those of you who read my 'preview' in my Shinobi's Creed fanfic, this chapter should equally be familiar. And for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, this chapter will be covering an event constantly referenced in the Mass Effect games, most notably based on certain choices made when creating your Shepard at the start of the game.**

 **For those of you who have asked if I'll be getting to the games soon, rest assured that there are only three chapters, counting this one, between you all and the start of the adventure we're all truly familiar with. I've covered Naruto and Alicia's childhood so you understand that, but now I need to cover their military careers, and help set a few things up for when the events of Mass Effect really start. So please bare me with for three more chapters. I promise to try and make them worthwhile.**

 **One little note here. Fanfiction seems to have goofed in the past three-four days, in that so far, no one seems able to actually see reviews left on their fanfics. Reason I know this is because none of the author's I've reviewed in the past three days have apparently seen the reviews I left, and my own review history tab has stated I haven't left any of the reviews I know I have. So, if I don't respond to your reviews, it's because I haven't been able to read them. I apologize for that in advance. Sorry. *sad face***

 **Oh, and I do believe my beta a7xfanatic1195 wanted to say something to one of our reviewers. Go ahead a7x.**

 _To Mandalore the Freedom:_

 _KOTE BAL IJAAT PAR MANDO'ADE VOD!_

 **So, with that said and done, on with the chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mass effect. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Bioware/EA. This is a nonprofit fanfic meant purely for enjoyment. Please support the official releases.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Skyllian Blitz**

 _Elysium, 2176_

Naruto Uzumaki Shepard quietly looked out the window of the military transport currently ferrying him and a number of other military personnel and supplies to the alpine resort colony world of Elysium. For Naruto, this would be his newest posting as a member of the Systems Alliance Marine Corps.

The now twenty-two-year-old vulzan shifted in his seat, adjusting the blue short sleeved fatigues he was currently wearing, all while watching the clouds go by as the transport made its way down to the space docks at Illyria, the capital of Elysium. They had been forced to wait in a holding pattern, due to the heavy traffic Elysium had due to it being a rather popular resort world, and not just with humans. A number of asari, salarians, and even a few hanar, drell, turians, elcor, and volus visited the world for various reasons, making it almost as much of a cultural melting pot as the Citadel itself.

Of course, despite being what many would consider a luxury resort world, its proximity to batarian territory also meant that the planet still required a rather sizeable garrison, even more so since an attack on Elysium didn't only threaten the humans visiting or living on the planet, but also the alien tourists. The last thing the Alliance wanted was the debacle and scandal of Council citizens being killed or kidnapped from one of their worlds.

Naruto's thoughts slowly drifted back to the training he and Alicia had gone through, after dealing with some…interesting problems regarding Naruto's unique nature and the Council. Once those were out of the way, and the Shepard twins had passed the physical and mental entrance requirements, they were admitted to the Alliance Military Training Camp located outside Brisbane, Australia.

Alliance 'Boot Camp' was a nine week training course for those who would make up the ground forces and fighting crews of the Alliance Navy and Marine forces. The first two weeks started with the basics, consisting of nothing but drills, obstacle courses, and firing ranges, to instill in the recruits a sense of discipline and a basic understanding of the weapons and equipment they'd be using. These first two weeks helped to not only weed out the physically or mentally weakest recruits, but also help the drill instructors and training officers recognize the skills of the recruits under their command, and ready them for more specialized training. By the end of the initial two weeks course, Alicia had proven to be rather skilled with the shotgun and assault rifle, while Naruto had proven to be highly skilled with a sniper rifle, as well as an assault rifle. They both had also shown themselves to be capable hand to hand combatants as well, and then of course there were their biotic powers.

Alicia, roughly a year before enlisting in the Alliance, had been confirmed to have biotic powers, and was outfitted with an L3 implant that would allow her to control her biotics. She had received some basic biotic training so that she could control her powers and not have emotional or accidental bursts, but on the side, Naruto had begun training her in some of the abilities he himself had been taught by his asari mentors back during the time he was being tested and studied by the joint Alliance-Council team.

During the next three weeks of training, Alliance recruits were trained in more specialized branches of combat, based on their capabilities. These branches were codenamed soldier, vanguard, infiltrator, engineer, sentinel, and adept, and each was relatively unique. However, certain individuals who showed skill in multiple branches could receive specialized training in more than one branch, to maximize their skills.

The soldier branch of combat training was for those who showed remarkable skill with weapons, capable of handling different types of weapons in combat. The bulk of the recruits usually fell under this branch of training, being skilled with weapons rather than tech based attacks or biotic powers.

Vanguard combat training was for those who displayed a talent for both biotics and frontline combat. Vanguards were considered shock troops of the Alliance military, using their biotic abilities to crash into the enemy's front lines, and proceed to cause chaos and destruction with weapons and biotics to allow their fellow soldiers to solidify the foothold they created, and pierce through enemy lines.

Infiltrator combat training involved teaching recruits how to use technical skills to cloak and hide from enemy troops, before using their skills with sniper rifles to pick off key targets, or their technical skills to sabotage enemy equipment or hack into their networks and steal valuable information.

Engineer combat training was for troops who would be fulfilling a support role in combat, usually involving supporting frontline troops by erecting mobile shield or barrier generators, establishing fortifications, or even creating combat drones to deploy in combat to support frontline troops, usually providing a distraction or a flanking attack on enemy positions.

Sentinel combat training was perhaps the most unique and selective of the various combat branches available to Alliance recruits. It consisted of training for those who were not only technically minded, but also capable biotic wielders, allowing them to utilize tech based attacks such as launching concentrated plasma or cryogenic blasts at the enemy with potent biotic powers. Those who graduated from sentinel combat training tended to be valuable support troops in combat, as they could easily provide valuable tech and biotic assistance on the field, as well as having powerful shields and armor in the form of holographic 'tech armor'.

Lastly, the adept combat training course was for those with the greatest biotic potential. Recruits in this branch were trained almost exclusively in the use of their biotics, sacrificing even weapons training to hone their skills in manipulating dark matter. While humans were still behind the rest of the biotic capable races in the galaxy, they were quickly learning how useful biotically gifted soldiers were, even as the rest of humanity looked on biotics with suspicion and prejudice. Biotically capable individuals were offered extra incentives to join the military, and the adept combat training course helped those who joined to become powerful combatants on the field, able to change the course of a fire fight with a single movement of their hand.

Alicia ended up being assigned to the vanguard combat training course, having proven she was quite skilled in close quarters combat with a shotgun and hand to hand combat. Her biotics also were better suited for this style of training, as she showed a lack in the fine control that those in the adept and sentinel training courses had in controlling their biotics. Those in the vanguard combat training course tended to be rely more on power and wide spread damage with their biotics.

Naruto however ended up receiving specialized training from both the soldier and adept combat training courses, honing his skill with both the sniper rifle and assault rifle, as well as furthering the biotic training he had received when he was younger. His training in the adept course, while not as thorough and complete as other 'adepts', even led to him starting to research a new biotic attack he hoped to make his own unique 'hidden ace'.

Besides receiving more specialized training, recruits were also routinely deployed in platoons both for 'simulated combat' training, and for 'survival' training. In the simulated combat training, they were given specialized weapons that were almost identical to the ones they would be using in real life, except that instead of firing live rounds, they instead fired sensory beams that simulated the trajectory and velocity of rounds fired from their respective weapons. These sensor beams would impact against specialized training armor that would register the hit, and react accordingly, disabling/locking up that portion of the armor suit, or locking up the entire armor if it was a 'kill' shot. For survival training, they would be taken to different geographical environments around the globe, in order to train in the different environmental conditions they would most likely encounter, and learn how to survive in those environments.

The last four weeks was perhaps the most important training for the recruits. While they continued to learn their specialized combat training courses, they were also given basic training in piloting, repairing, and maintaining the various small vehicles the Alliance military employed, such as the M35 Mako, the A-61 Mantis gunship, and the UT-47 Kodiak drop shuttle. They were also taken off world to expose them to the more exotic or toxic environments they would possibly have to fight in as part of the Alliance military.

Upon successfully completing all nine weeks of training, the recruits were welcomed into the Alliance with a grand graduation ceremony, and then given their assignments either into the navy or marine branches of the military. However, those who had displayed remarkable leadership qualities during the training, or had received special commendations before beginning basic training from active or retired officers, were eligible to take an extended training course for officer training. If they successfully completed this course, they would automatically be promoted to the lowest officer rank in the branch of the Alliance military they were assigned to.

Naturally, the Shepard twins had jumped at the chance for officer training. Their drill instructors had both noted they showed excellent leadership capabilities during the simulated combat and survival training courses. Hannah had told them she would be happy to give them recommendations as well, as had Jiraiya, but both had stated they wanted to get through on their own merits. A statement that was vindicated when they both began the twelve-week officer training course.

Unfortunately for Naruto, things were not easy. During basic training, he had simply been one of dozens, if not hundreds of new recruits, and despite his alien heritage and appearance, he had generally been accepted and treated with little difference from anyone else. But when he entered the officer training course, it was a different story. There were fewer recruits here, and some of the drill instructors and teachers were a bit leery about training an alien, even one that closely resembled a human and was raised by humans. Some of them didn't think it was right, allowing an alien to have command over human soldiers. A sentiment shared by a few of the officer recruits as well. Determined to prove himself though, Naruto pushed himself harder to prove to them all he deserved to be there.

In the end, Naruto's hard work paid off. Both he and Alicia graduated, and earned their officer's commissions. Alicia ended up joining the Navy, gaining the rank of Ensign, while Naruto was assigned to the Marine Corps with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

Naruto smiled fondly, thinking about the celebration his family had following his and Alicia's completion of the officer training course, including the part where a drunken Jiraiya proudly proclaimed that he was going to base the main characters of his next book after his two god children, earning him a smack and a stern talking to from his wife. He also remembered the absolutely proud look his mother had when congratulating the pair of them on making it through the training.

He shook his head as he heard the transport's onboard Virtual Intelligence, or VI, announce they were nearing the landing bay at the Illyria space port. Smiling, he picked up his beret style cover (2) and got ready to disembark.

Roughly a half hour later he was stepping out of a skycar taxi, and after paying the driver, slipped his cover onto his head, settling it on his rather short blonde hair. If he did have one major complaint, it was that regulations prevented him from having longer hair, which just felt more comfortable to him on an instinctual level. Course it had been worse with Alicia, who had to sit through having her long red hair cut to a much shorter length. She had loved her hair.

He approached the gates of the perimeter wall for the main garrison headquarters, and flashed them his ID, gaining him access to the base. Entering the main building, he removed his cover, and proceeded immediately to the front desk, where a female marine sat typing at a console. The female marine looked up, and quickly stood and saluted as Naruto approached, seeing the officer insignia on his uniform. "Sir," she said.

Naruto saluted back. "I'm checking in," he said, holding up his left arm and accessing his military issued omni-tool. The marine nodded, sitting back down and returning to her console, typing a few commands in as Naruto transferred his information to the computer. In the old days, any soldier or sailor transferring to a new command had to go through roughly a week of filing paperwork with various offices in their new command before they could even officially report in. Now though, all they had to do was simply transfer their information from their omni-tool to the base's computer, and the information was sent to the necessary offices, taking all of five minutes to properly file away the information.

As Naruto finished, the female marine nodded. "Very good sir. The major is currently in his office if you'd like to report in. Fifth floor, sector two," she said, saluting again.

Naruto gave her another salute and a 'thank you' before heading deeper into the building, to a nearby elevator.

Roughly ten minutes later, he was waiting patiently outside the office of the garrison commander for Elysium, Major Fredrick Robertson. The major's secretary was working on a report, but glanced up as the intercom buzzed, and a male voice spoke through it. "You can send him in now."

"Yes sir," the secretary said, before nodding to Naruto. "The major will see you now."

With a nod, Naruto moved to the door which slid opened, and stepped smartly to the desk of the garrison commander, before stopping and saluting. "Second Lieutenant Naruto Shepard, reporting for duty sir," he said, keeping his gaze locked on the wall behind his new commanding officer.

Fredrick Robertson was a man in his mid-forties, with crew cut brown hair, and brown eyes. He had a muscular build, obviously a man who intended to keep in shape for as long as possible. He glanced up from the report he had been reading, before slowly standing and returning the salute. "At ease," he said simply, studying Naruto.

As Naruto relaxed his stance, dropping his salute, the major sat down, bringing up a new data file. "Well…quite some impressive skills you have here," he said. "Skilled marksmen, impressive biotics, and you show promise in tactical scenarios," he said, before glancing up. "Tell me something…why do you think you were posted here to Elysium?" He asked him.

"I don't know sir. I assume this was where they felt I would do the most good," Naruto stated.

Robertson chuckled softly. "Indeed. Well you will be doing the most good here, though not in the way you think. Lieutenant, I don't like to sugar coat things. I tend to want my soldiers to understand the full truth upfront. You're here because you're a showpiece to the Alliance brass," Robertson stated bluntly.

Naruto blinked in confusion at that. "Sir?" he asked a bit hesitantly.

"Son…you're the only alien to ever be admitted into the Alliance military. Not only that, but there's that whole business of you being from an extinct alien race that died off fifty thousand years ago. One that the Council has raised a fuss over time and time again. The Alliance sent you here because it's here where they can not only keep you safe, but also show you off to all the alien tourists, to let them know that they have your support," Robertson stated. "You're here because the Alliance wants to use you to boost their image and influence."

Naruto blinked at that, stiffening. "I see, sir," he stated quietly. "Is that what you think I am? A show piece?"

The major shook his head. "If I had my way, you'd be stationed onboard one of our warships closer to the batarian border, or on one of our colonies that are in the most danger of pirate attacks. Your skills are too valuable to waste here. But these are the brasses orders, so we follow them. Now, do you have any questions?"

"What are my duties to be, sir?" Naruto asked, as Robertson nodded, turning to type a few commands into his computer.

"You're going to be second in command of the security detail at the spaceport. Report to Lieutenant Ralden over there tomorrow at 0700 hours. He'll run you through your duties. Oh, and take some time to enjoy yourself while you're here on Elysium. This is probably one of the most peaceful and attractive postings in the Alliance, so take advantage of it," Robertson stated.

"I'll take that under consideration sir," Naruto said, still standing and awaiting any further instructions. Robertson watched him for a few moments, before shaking his head.

"Very well then. You're dismissed," he said.

Naruto gave him a salute, and after receiving a return salute, he about faced and left the major's office. As he did, he couldn't help but clench his fist slightly, thinking about the major's words. He knew the major hadn't meant to anger him, but hearing what was said had done exactly that. Naruto couldn't believe that he was just being used as some trophy by the Alliance, not after hearing the stories that Malcolm, Hannah, and Jiraiya had shared with him. Sure, his postings over the last nearly four years had been quiet ones, but he had never been treated like some prop for the Alliance to use for it's own publicity. Shaking his head, he headed off to find the officer's housing, to get settled in.

 _SSV Ontario_

Hannah Shepard let out a soft groan as she stretched in the chair at her desk located in the executive officer's cabin onboard the _Ontario_ , a cruiser in the Alliance Navy. Now holding the rank of commander, this was her first assignment as the executive officer of a warship. Her duties were not so dissimilar to when she was in charge of the troop complements of warships in the past, except now she was second in command of the entire warship, rather than a portion of the ship's crew. She was still adjusting to the extra duties.

She grinned softly as after activating the terminal on her desk and opening her messages, she found one from Naruto stating he was on his way to his next posting. He had only been able to mention he was posted to Elysium, and nothing else, as a matter of operational security. Still, it was good to hear from him, even if it wasn't a lot.

Her eyes drifted to a nearby digital picture in a computerized frame. They were a marvel, allowing you to download multiple images into one frame, and then flip through them, to set the one you wanted displayed. Currently, it was showing an image of her in her uniform, standing with an arm around her two children after they graduated from the Alliance Officer Training Program, with both of them in their own uniforms. They all had smiles on their faces, hers' one of pride while Naruto and Alicia's were ones of happiness.

It hadn't been easy, when Naruto and Alicia announced their intent to join the Alliance. The first thing Hannah had felt was a sense of fear. She didn't want them in the Alliance. Not after Malcolm had died. She had tried to convince them not to join, to find another job. She had even tried to get Jiraiya to help convince her. But both of them were adamant, and refused to budge on the issue.

There had been some arguments and fights, but in the end…they both told her how they wanted to honor Malcolm's memory. They wanted to honor him. And unable to fight them, Hannah had given them her blessing.

Of course, things didn't go as smoothly as them simply signing up and starting their training. For Alicia there wasn't too much trouble. With Hannah and Jiraiya's endorsement it was easy enough for her to be accepted. But Naruto…that had been another story.

The first problem had been the Alliance debating whether they should accept Naruto into the military or not. He was raised by a human, had been taught by humans, but he wasn't human. And so the recruitment guidelines were gray on whether or not they could accept him into their ranks. A debate began within the halls of Alliance Parliament, and ended in favor of allowing Naruto to enlist.

Sadly, a second problem arose: not even twenty-four hours after the decision to allow Naruto to enlist was passed, the turian Councilor Sparatus had contacted them, all but demanding that the Council have a meeting with Naruto and Alliance officials.

The meeting, as it turned out, was Sparatus wishing to make it known that he and the turian hierarchy had issues with the Alliance allowing Naruto to join them. Sparatus stated that given Naruto's unique nature and abilities, he should be trained by a joint team of military trainers from various Council and Council affiliate races. Afterwards, Sparatus suggested that Naruto be instated as a new type of operative, one that operated alongside the various Council and Council affiliate militaries in missions against threats ranging from pirates and criminals to terrorists and warmongers.

Naruto countered with a simple statement: it was his own life, to live and choose as he saw fit. He wanted to join the Alliance military, to not only honor his father, but to help the people who were constantly under threat from the slavers, pirates, and criminals populating the Attican Traverse and Terminus Systems. As he stated, the people out there were in more danger than anyone else in Council controlled space as they had the full might of the turian and asari fleets to protect them. Most people could recognize the slight jab Naruto made at the fact that these Council fleets had done nothing so far to help protect one of their affiliate races.

The new salarian Council had been initially supportive of Sparatus, most likely in an attempt to get another chance for his race's scientists in examining Naruto. However, Tevos called for a private discussion between the three Councilors during the meeting. When they returned, the salarian Councilor immediately made it known that he was supporting Naruto's choice in joining the Alliance military, as did Tevos.

Hannah wasn't sure what exactly was said, but she could guess that Tevos probably pointed out that alienating Naruto wouldn't do them any favors. He already held a slight grudge against the Council for their inaction against the batarians following Mindoir, and the death of Malcolm Shepard.

In the end, Sparatus was outnumbered, and grudgingly withdrew his complaints. Hannah couldn't help but feel though that the event had simply furthered the tension between humans and turians.

Still, things worked out and Naruto and Alicia both enlisted. Alicia had followed in her mother's footsteps, joining the Navy branch of the Alliance Military, specializing in ship security, boarding actions, and landing parties. She was currently serving on the _SSV Falkirk_ , Hannah's old ship, which was patrolling the outermost border of colonized Alliance space. She had also been promoted, to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade, putting her ahead of her brother, something she didn't let him live down since he now stood taller than her and she couldn't tease him over that anymore.

She sighed as she closed the message down, and browsed through her other messages, finding nothing else interesting. Closing the terminal down, she groaned softly as she stretched. Feeling tired, she decided to get some rest, before her next duty shift. Being the executive officer of a warship was definitely not an easy task.

 _Maroon Sea, Two Weeks Later_

In the Attican Traverse, near the border of Alliance Space, the Maroon Sea was a mostly unexplored nebula cluster with several star systems. Being an unexplored nebula, it was the perfect gathering for pirates and slavers, such as it was currently.

Within one of the unexplored systems, close to two dozen warships of various designs, belonging to various pirates, criminals, and slaver gangs were gathering. Along with them were a fair amount of lightly armed transports, modified by their criminal owners to meet specifications for smuggling or slavery. In this case though, their cargo consisted of hundreds, if not thousands of pirates, slavers, and mercenaries, mostly batarians but with some turians and humans as well.

On the largest of the warships, an aging turian dreadnaught mothballed by the Hierarchy but then 'liberated' by its current captain, the leader of the entire expedition, one Elanos Haliat, closed the communications he had with his financial backers, a group of batarian generals and senators within the Hegemony. The turian pirate smiled as he turned to his bridge staff. "Report," he said, his flanged voice deep and grating. (3)

His second in command, who was standing at a holographic display of the gathering fleet, looked up. "Captain, at least ninety percent of the fleet has gathered. We should be ready to move out within the next three hours."

"Excellent. And we're certain on the Alliance patrol routes?" Haliat asked another of his 'officers'. The batarian he asked nodded as well.

"Yes. There won't be an Alliance ship close enough to our target. The closest ship won't arrive for at least four hours, and if we haven't already begun pulling out by then, we should be able to handle a couple of warships."

Haliat nodded, looking to a third pirate, this one also a turian. "And our 'infiltrators'?" He asked.

"They reported that they managed to secure several of their objectives, and have the coordinates for our initial strikes. If everything goes according to plan, we should be able to sweep in with little to no opposition," the officer reported.

"Good, good," Haliat said, his mandibles flaring slightly. "Then today gentleman, we strike the first blow against the scourge that is sweeping across our space. These humans will understand that it is we who control this space, not them. Make sure that every ship is armed and ready, and that all the landing parties are fully armed. Today, we strike a blow against the usurpers that are humanity!" He said.

His officers quickly set to work, as Haliat turned, watching the ships moving through space through the viewports on the bridge, a satisfied smirk on his face. It had taken him quite some time to gain the power and notoriety needed to gather and command this many criminals and warships, but now, it would all be worth it. His name would be infamous, feared and respected by all for his daring raid against one of the most prosperous colonies of the Alliance. And the deaths or capture of civilians from other Council races would simply make the victory against the Alliance all the sweeter. He allowed himself a chuckle, as his warships finished their final preparations, waiting only for the last stragglers before he began his glorious mission.

 _Elysium_

Naruto let out a slightly frustrated groan as he sat down at a table outside a café, leaning back in the chair as he lightly rubbed his forehead. Two weeks on Elysium, and he finally understood what the major meant by him being a show piece.

His job at the spaceport largely consisted of him being in display for everyone entering or leaving Elysium to see. He was either at the public security desk where civilians and spaceport workers could come bring complaints or concerns to him, or he was leading security patrols through the public areas of the spaceport. The worst though was anytime someone with money and/or influence arrived, as it fell to Naruto to be part of the greeting party for them, as well as providing the security for them while they were in the spaceport, and while they were traveling to the resort where they were staying or the lodge/mansion they might already own or be renting out for themselves.

It aggravated him, to say the least. He joined the Alliance to try and help people, to fight against threats to humanity. And in four years, he had been given a series of cushy jobs. It hadn't been obvious to him before, he had simply thought it had to do with him being still young and inexperienced. But now, two weeks on Elysium had made it painfully obvious that the Alliance was more interested in the publicity and fame he bought them, rather than the skills in combat he could offer.

Thankfully though, something had come along to cheer him up…well, relatively speaking. That something was the grinning redhead that plopped down opposite him. "Jeez, I would think being on a resort world would be relaxing, not stressful," Alicia said to her brother, getting comfortable in the chair while they waited for their drinks.

Naruto just grunted softly, as he lowered his hands. "Trust me, relaxing to me right now would be if I actually got to do something beyond watching over tourists," he said, grinning a bit though. His sister had surprised him by popping up two days ago to spend her shore leave on Elysium, eager to spend time with her 'little brother'.

Of course, they could only hang out when he wasn't on duty, like currently. He had just finished another duty shift at the spaceport, and was eager to relax and take his mind off of things.

Naruto grinned at her as he signaled one of the waiters to come over. "So, how did things go last night? You seemed to be getting a bit friendly with that asari in the bar before I had to head back to base," he asked her with a smirk, as Alicia blushed lightly but grinned back.

"Was going pretty good, till her date showed up," Alicia said with a chuckle, leaning back in her chair. "My charm wasn't quite good enough."

"You and your addiction to asari," Naruto teased back with a grin. He was over exaggerating of course, as while Alicia had an appreciation of asari, she was far from 'addicted' to them. Alicia was bisexual though, having dated a few boys and girls during high school, so it was easy to understand why she was attracted to asari.

Alicia just smirked at him. "C'mon, there's nothing wrong with appreciating fine art. Like that one there," she said, nodding to a dark blue, almost purple skin toned asari nearby who was chatting with a human man and a salarian.

Naruto just shook his head with a grin, as a waitress came over with a smile. "Hi, what can I get you two?" She asked, her smile grow more flirtatious as she looked at Naruto.

Alicia, smirking, ordered first. "I'll have the Mixed Fruit Juice, with the Ikle berry crepe," she said, as the waitress took her order down without looking at her, seeming to be focusing on Naruto.

"And you, handsome?" She asked, as Naruto chuckled softly.

"I'll take a turian Tiki nut caffe and slice of Haverath tart," he said, giving her a smile back. "And why don't you get yourself something as well, on me," he added, causing the waitress to blush but grin even more.

"Mmmmm, maybe I will," she said, giving him a wink before turning to place their orders, a noticeable sway in her hips as she walked away. Alicia just gave him a huge grin, shoving his shoulder.

"Look at you, Mr. Smooth talker. With that tongue of yours I bet you could charm the pants off a Quarian," she said with a grin, making Naruto just chuckle as he smiled.

"Just my natural good looks and wily charms," he said with a smirk, only to blink as his omni buzzed. Taking a look at the computer, he blinked as he found a video call request coming in. "One second," he said, standing up and moving to a more private spot before activating it. "Yes?" he said, as the image popped up, revealing one of the soldiers on duty at the spaceport, Corporal Rollins.

"Sir, we've got a bit of an incident here. A couple of turians captured in a restricted area," the corporal said, as Naruto nodded.

"Is Lieutenant Ralden there?" Naruto asked, only for the corporal to shake his head.

"No sir. He was called to a staff meeting the major called for. All the senior officers are currently at the meeting," Rollins said. "What should we do?"

"Detain them for now. Ralden or I will handle it," Naruto said, as the corporal nodded and ended the communication. Naruto sighed, shaking his head as he returned to his sister, to find their orders there.

Alicia glanced up from the juice she was sipping, tilting her head a bit curiously. "Anything interesting?" She asked, as Naruto shook his head.

"No, not really. Just some tourists being someplace they shouldn't," Naruto said as he sat down, and began cutting into the pastry he had ordered. "So, what should we do today? We hit the club scene last night, so there's still the skiing, or the heated indoor pool. Or the arcade," he said, referring to the massive entertainment facility that had a number of arcade based games as well as more interactive entertainments such as combat simulators, both on foot and fighter based ones.

Alicia hummed softly in thought. "Hmmmm, fall on my ass a lot in snow, check out cute guys and girls in swimsuits, or kick your butt in video games. Have to say the choice between the last two is hard," she said with a grin.

"Hey, I'm not that bad at video games," Naruto shot back, pouting. He was about to speak again when there was a sudden explosion off in the distance, making the two Alliance soldiers shoot up.

"What was that?!" Alicia shouted, only for a second explosion to go off closer to them, followed by a third and fourth one. Around them people were screaming and shouting, running away from the explosions, as alarms went off overhead, and a VI announcer began directing people to head to the nearest designated emergency shelter. Naruto cursed as he brought up his omni-tool to try and get in contact with the headquarters. "This is 2nd Lieutenant Shepard to command, do you copy?! What's going on?!"

Almost immediately Major Robertson's voice replied to him. "A number of unknown explosive devices were set off at several of the security outposts throughout the city, and we have reports of armed hostiles at the spaceport. I'm recalling everyone to arm up and prepare for combat. That includes you lieutenant," he snapped. "Get over to the armory and standby for further orders!"

"Yes sir!" Naruto responded, shutting down his omni-tool and turning to his sister. "We need to get to the armory ASAP. This looks like it's a full blown terrorist attack, and they're trying to take the spaceport."

Alicia nodded, her mouth set in a firm line as they began rushing to the nearest vehicle they could find. As they did so, another alarm started going off, one that made Naruto look up in shock. "That's the invasion alarm! What the hell?!" He shouted.

In orbit, the pirates found the first major hiccup in their plan, in the form of a small flotilla of Alliance warships. Intelligence provided to Haliat had indicated that there would be no Alliance presence in orbit beyond a couple of shipyards built to handle large incoming warships and civilian ships. What Haliat's sources hadn't known was that a small flotilla of four frigates from the Fourth Alliance fleet had arrived at Elysium to drop off shipments of weapons and parts for the garrison, including the _SSV Falkirk_.

Now, Haliat cursed as he saw the four small warships in orbit of the target planet. Still, he reasoned that the battle shouldn't be too difficult. There were only four frigates, and he had six times as many warships. "Have all warships focus on those frigates. Signal the transports to begin landing the troops," he ordered, as his ship and the others began to surge ahead to engage the four frigates, who even now were moving into a defensive posture around the shipyards and preparing to engage the pirate vessels. The transports however veered away, heading towards the planet instead. One of the transports, as it breached the atmosphere, launched a smaller craft which immediately began a direct route towards a specific target.

On the ground, Naruto and Alicia had barely reached the marine base, and were rushing towards the armory, as around them the marines that had been on duty were already setting up a defensive perimeter. Most of them were erecting hasty barricades with whatever they could get their hands on, or small portable barrier generators, while others were preparing a number of the garrison's armed vehicles for combat. Already a pair of M35 Mako's, the Alliance Infantry Fighting Vehicles, were rolling forward, their main cannons and secondary co-axial guns primed and ready to fire.

As Naruto was nearing the armory, he heard the roar of engines overhead, and stopped, looking up. His eyes widened as he saw what looked like a batarian shuttle roaring by overhead, its barriers repelling the fire from the marines on the ground as it flew over them. Naruto blinked in confusion, only for his eyes to widen as he saw where it was headed. "It's going for the command building!" he shouted.

Indeed, the shuttle, a remotely piloted suicide craft loaded with explosives, had been prepped for such a mission, to cripple the garrison's chain of command. With frightening precision, it rolled over, diving downwards and slamming into the headquarters where it exploded as it punched into the building. Not even a second later a massive fireball erupted out of the building, totally consuming it and throwing everyone within two hundred feet to the ground from the shockwave.

Naruto had been forced to his knees from the edge of the shockwave, and now slowly got up, staring at the inferno that had been the command building. There was no way anyone inside the building could have survived that explosion. He felt Alicia grab him by the shoulder, and shake him. "We have to go Naruto! Move it!" He nodded dumbly, turning and following her.

Naruto and Alicia dashed inside the armory, where a number of other marines were quickly suiting up in armor, or checking over their weapons, slotting fresh thermal clips into their guns. Most of them had formed up with their squadmates and had moved outside to reinforce the perimeter and wait for orders, but others, alone or in ones or two, were simply waiting for their squads, or orders.

Naruto soon reached his armor locker, practically ripping the door off its hinges while gesturing to his left. "There should be spare armors over there!" He yelled to his sister as he quickly grabbed the reinforced armored suit that comprised of the standard Alliance Marine infantry armor. Alicia quickly found an extra suit and began putting it on as well, as Naruto soon finished, and grabbed his helmet, sealing it and its breathing mask in place over his head. (4)

As the suit and helmet fully sealed, the visor in front of his eyes began to flicker, as the HUD came online and began to run through its power up diagnostics. As it finished, the HUD began to shift, as new displays began to appear. In the lower right a motion tracker appeared, immediately coming alive with a large flurry of blue friendly dots and red enemy dots, the latter appearing as triangles to indicate they were at a higher elevation from his current position. At the bottom of the HUD was a blue bar, indicating the current strength of his armors shields, below which was a bar indicating the integrity of his suit's armored plates. Lastly, the left side had an indicator for currently equipped weapon's status, though that indicator was blank due to him not having any weapons equipped.

Moving away from the armor lockers, Naruto quickly moved to the weapon lockers, first grabbing the standard issue M-3 Predator pistol and M-7 Lancer assault rifle, which he slipped onto the magnetic locking plates on his right hip and right shoulder blade respectively after ensuring both had fresh thermal clips slotted into them. With those in place, he moved to the sniper rifles, quickly grabbing up his M-97 Viper, which unfolded from its compact frame after he picked it up, extending to its full length. The Viper was one of the two mainstay sniper rifles of the Alliance military, its counterpart being the M-92 Mantis. Both were powerful rifles, but were quite different in their capabilities. The Mantis was a more powerful, but slower firing sniper rifle, more akin to old bolt action sniper rifles, while the Viper was a semi-automatic sniper rifle, capable of more rapid shots but with less power in each shot, as the mass accelerators used less power in each shot to achieve the greater rate of fire.

Naruto quickly tapped a couple of buttons on the side of the rifle, connecting its onboard computer to that of his suit's computer, which now caused the weapon indicator to light up on his HUD. It soon flashed green, indicating the weapon had a fresh thermal clip, and was ready for use. During combat, the indicator would tell Naruto the status of his weapon, including how close it was to overheating. Due to the advantages of eezo and mass effect technology, concerns regarding ammo were a thing of the past, as weapons could turn slivers of metal the size of a grain of sand into lethal projectiles thanks to mass manipulation. However, the mass accelerators used to accelerator the projectiles to terminal speed could cause intense heat buildup in the weapons, rapidly overheating and damaging or destroying the weapons. Thermal clips were used to thus cool the weapons down during combat, though they could only delay the inevitable. Prolonged use of the weapon would eventually overheat it, and even burn out the thermal clip, forcing the operator to exchange thermal clips in order to keep firing his weapon. The indicator on the HUD would let Naruto know if his currently equipped weapon was about to overheat, and when he would need to change out the thermal clip.

Now armed, Naruto turned to see Alicia doing the same procedure with a Lancer, a Predator pistol at her side while an M-23 Katana shotgun was nestled on the magnetic clamp on her lower back. She looked up at him and nodded, as the pair quickly turned to the staging area in the armory.

Naruto patched them both into the frequency used by the marines on their radios, switching his frequency to reach every marine who was active. "This is Lieutenant Naruto Shepard broadcasting on an open frequency. I need a sit-rep on our situation. Who's the senior officer?!" He shouted into his comm.

There were several moments of silence, before a slightly panicked voice responded. "S-Sir…all the senior officers were in the command building…they're all dead."

Naruto let out a curse at that, as Alicia joined in now on the conversation. "This is Lieutenant Alicia Shepard form the _Falkirk_. Are there any officers left alive?"

This time a different voice responded. "This is 2nd Lieutenant Walthers, ma'am. To be honest, I think you're the most senior officer planet side at the moment."

"2nd Lieutenant Romeo, ma'am. Walthers is correct; everyone above the rank of 2nd Lieutenant was in the command building. You're the senior ranking officer ma'am. What are your orders?" Said a second voice.

Alicia froze for a moment at hearing that. Despite her being a Navy officer and not part of the Alliance Marine Corps, the close working relationship of the Navy and Marines had led to a new directive being initiated, where officers from either branch could command personnel from the other military branches if they were the senior ranked officer in the area. Meaning that Alicia, as a Lieutenant Junior Grade, currently outranked the surviving marine officers. (5)

Alicia turned to Naruto, who gave her a nod, before she cleared her throat. "Okay…well…I need a sit-rep then people. What's our status?"

Walthers was the first one to speak up. "The enemy has destroyed several of our checkpoints and outposts throughout the city, and we've lost contact with the orbital facilities. However I think they're just jamming us ma'am. We're trying to evacuate people towards the center of the city."

"Romeo ma'am. My platoon is currently trying to fight our way over to the spaceport, but I think it's a lost cause. Our last report from over there didn't sound good. We'll try to link up with any other units and-."

"CONTACT! Enemy transports inbound, heading for the city perimeter!" A panicked voice interrupted over the comm.

"Confirmed, inbound enemy troop transports! They're preparing to land around the city!" Another voice spoke up, making Alicia clench a fist.

"I need a visual! Naruto, get yourself onto a vantage point and report in," she said, as Naruto nodded and rushed off, while she pointed to a nearby sergeant. "You, take your squad and start setting up some type of command post. Romeo, Walthers, I need you to get everyone currently in the city and pull back towards the center of the city. We'll need to set up a defensive perimeter inside the city itself, if we're going to hold off a fucking invasion. Move it!" She said.

As the marines leapt into action, Alicia headed outside, looking up to see the transports moving towards the outskirts of the city, slowly lowering themselves into landing positions. Alicia's eyes narrowed as she recognized the majority of them as batarian ships, making her hand tremble softly, before she gripped her Lancer.

Naruto panted lightly as he dashed up the stairs of one of the nearby hotel buildings, having entered and found the elevators offline. Reaching the upper most floor, he rushed to an employee doorway and entered it, finding a staircase leading up to the rooftop. Quickly ascending the final staircase, he burst onto the roof, moving towards the edge of it and crouched down, using his sniper scope to survey the situation. He activated his comm, opening a direct channel to Alicia, before speaking. "They're off loading troops outside the city. Looks like the transports are too big to land any closer. I'm seeing mostly batarians, but with some turians and some humans in the mix. Estimated enemy strength currently at maybe two thousand, and growing," he said. "No sign of any enemy armor or vehicles though. Only infantry."

Alicia, standing in the makeshift command post, nodded at that report, while looking at a digital map of the city. "Alright…we're going to need to slow them down anyway we can…what's our current troop strength?" She asked one of the sergeants.

"Ma'am, we currently have four hundred and sixty three soldiers, about ninety three percent of our total strength," he reported, as Alicia quietly nodded, looking down at the map of the city. She frowned though as she took in the currently reported enemy numbers.

"I'm not sure we have enough to form a defensive perimeter. Not against these numbers," she said softly, looking up at him. "Check our weapon supplies. I want to know how many extra weapons we have on hand," she said.

The sergeant saluted and rushed off, while Alicia took a deep breath, trying to formulate a plan. And yet despite her best efforts, she kept coming back to one sobering thought: she needed more men if they were going to hold out. With no other recourse, she turned to a nearby console, where a corporal was manning communications. "I need you to patch me into the civilian frequencies. Now," she said.

The corporal nodded and quickly did so, giving her a thumb up. Taking a deep breath, Alicia began to speak. "This is Lieutenant Alicia Shepard, current commanding officer of the garrison here on Elysium," she said.

In the center of the city, where the civilians were massed, they all looked at their omni-tools, or at the speakers, where Alicia's words were being transmitted from. "We are currently mustering all available soldiers to defend against the incoming attack. However…if we are going to successfully hold the enemy back, then I require the aid of any and all civilian volunteers."

This made a lot of people start talking, most in fearful tones. Being told that they required civilian help conjured all kinds of feelings of terror and defeat in their minds. Yet Alicia's words cut through to them again. "I know that many of you are frightened, and that you didn't come here to fight against a pirate invasion. You came here to relax, to enjoy yourselves. That was why I came here too, to visit my brother and have a good time. But these pirates, these slavers, they're not going to go away just because we weren't ready for them. They're here, to kill you, or to take you away, to become the property of some batarian senator, or some criminal warlord. Well I for one am not going to let that happen. I'm going to fight them with every fiber of my being, and stop them. But I need your help to do so. So please…for yourselves…for your families or friends…please, I need your help. If you decide to join us…access the city VI and find the marine armory…thank you," she said, before cutting the communication.

In one building, a group of civilians were looking at each other at the end of that message. One of them, an asari, bit her lip as she hugged her daughter close to her. "She…she can't be serious, right? W-we're civilians!"

One of the humans nearby nodded. "Y-Yeah! I'm a cook for fuck's sake, I can't fight!"

"Not right now, you're not," said another voice. A man slowly stepped forward, despite his wife obviously trying to hold him back. "She's right. These pirates…they're not going to stop. They're going to come after us…and they're going to kill or enslave us. Well…I'm not going to stand here and wait for them. If they want to get at my family…they have to go through me," he said, before turning to kiss his wife, and then hug his son. With that, he left the room.

The others all looked, before another man stepped forward, following him. Then a woman, followed by a turian, another human. Slowly, more and more began leaving the room, after saying goodbye to their loved ones. A scene that was playing out in several other locations.

At the armory, Alicia meanwhile had gathered the remaining officers and non-commissioned officers together, to outline her plan. "Alright, the pirates are still massing outside the city, and only a few elements have made it into the city itself. So here's what we're going to do. Walthers, Romeo, Teagan, and Howards. You four are going to take a couple squads each, and move out away from the center of the city. Find yourselves some ambush points, and wait there. When the enemy reaches you, engage them. Do not get yourselves drawn into a sustained battle, and avoid casualties. We don't have the numbers to take any losses. Meanwhile, we'll be busy building up a defensive perimeter around the center of the city," she said, drawing a defensive circle on the map around the central part of the city. "We'll move the Makos and any other vehicles we have to the points of the circle crossing the main streets, to provide additional firepower. We'll also hopefully be having a number of civilian volunteers join us, so I want you all to keep an eye on them. They'll be manning the perimeter, though I want to make sure we have plenty of experienced soldiers with them to keep them in line. Naruto, you'll be taking the snipers and moving to these buildings here," she said, highlighting several tall structures within the defensive perimeter. "They should give your men clear lines of fire on the enemy. Tell them to prioritize anyone who looks like they're in charge, or carrying heavy weaponry. Understood?"

As the officers all nodded, a corporal ran inside. "Ma'am, we have civilians inbound!" She said, saluting quickly.

Alicia gave a grim nod, moving towards the doorway. "I want them armed and organized into platoons. Mix them with the marines, and make sure they have a basic understanding of what we need them to do," she said, as she moved outside to see how many were coming, only to stop as she saw the civilians. There had to be hundreds of them, all moving rapidly towards the armory, some with determined looks on their faces, others with barely restrained fear. And yet they still were coming.

The ones in front stopped outside the armory, some of them glancing at the squads of marines rushing off with weapons armed; while others were loading whatever portable defenses or debris they could into trucks. One of them, a human male, stepped forward as he saw Alicia. "Are you the leader?" He asked.

Alicia nodded, stunned at how many people had apparently rallied to her message. "Yes, I am…there are some soldiers inside, who will be giving you your orders and outfitting as many of you as possible with weapons," she said.

The man nodded, before reaching out a hand. As Alicia took it, the man gripped her hand. "Tell us what to do, and we'll do everything we can," he said, as several others behind him nodded in agreement with quiet 'yeses', echoing as well.

Alicia just gave a nod, shaking his head. "If any of you know how to fire or use a weapon, do what you can to help teach those who don't. We're going to organize a defensive perimeter around the heart of the city. That's where you'll all be stationed. Just keep your heads down, stick to cover, and don't panic fire. If we keep calm and fight hard, we'll make it through this," she said.

At that moment, the main armory doors opened, and soldiers began wheeling out racks of weapons and such, as a sergeant took stock of the number of civilians. "Ma'am, I'm not sure if we've got enough weapons to outfit them all," he said, looking at the numbers of civilians.

Alicia nodded as she turned to him. "Have anyone not armed with weapons work on building up the barricades and defensive positions then. Have them help the medics, or be ready to take the place of any casualties. Anything they can do to help, make sure they do it. Got that?"

"Yes ma'am! Alright, anyone who has weapon training, you first! Single file line!" The sergeant ordered, grabbing a Lancer off the rack as some of the civilians began streaming forward to take up arms.

Alicia meanwhile watched as Naruto headed off with at least two dozen soldiers, all armed with a mixture of Viper and Mantis sniper rifles. As she watched him go, Alicia activated her comm, setting it to his channel. "be careful out there, little bro," she said.

" _You too sis. Let's give them hell,_ " Naruto said back, turning to wave to her, before heading off. Alicia took a deep breath, and glanced out in the direction of the enemy transports, knowing this was going to be a long fight.

Over on the outskirts of Illyria, a turian by the name of Titerius Vernius growled in annoyance and frustration. He had been put in charge of the ground operations by Haliat, and was supposed to be leading the pirates and slavers into the city already. However, complications had already arisen.

For starters, the spaceport, which would have been an excellent landing sight and would have allowed them to deploy hundreds of their men in a manner of minutes, was not within their control. The infiltrators who had set the explosives had been charged with taking the spaceport, but the Alliance marines defending it had managed to hold onto the main control facilities, preventing them from making use of the docking platforms, and forcing them to land all their troops outside the city. The landing and organizing of the troops was also taking too long, as the criminals, while sharing a lust for booty and slaves, were not as eager to work together, with mistrust of other criminal or slaver groups leading to antagonizing words and near brawls to erupt amongst several of the groups. The first troops down had immediately rushed into the city, only to immediately begin looting the outer buildings they came across, rather than pushing towards the center of the city to try and engage the marines and prevent them from setting up a proper defense.

All of this meant that the invasion of the city, which should have been a quick smash and grab attack, was taking longer than it should have. A fact made worse by the presence of Alliance warships in orbit. Even now, Titerius was getting reports that despite being outnumbered six to one, the Alliance frigates were holding their own due to the fact that they were more advanced than the majority of the pirate and slaver warships, and moved together to prevent the pirate's warships from surrounding them.

Still, the men were now organized, and Titerius quickly ordered the first waves into the city, urging them to push in as far as they possibly could.

On the east side of the city, a group of close to thirty pirates and slavers were steadily making their way through the city, finding it mostly abandoned. One of them, a batarian, grinned as he saw a jewelry store, stopping and pointing to it. "Hey guys, right there," he said. "There's our payday."

The leader of the group a second batarian, turned to the speaker. "You heard the turian, we need to get into the center of the town. We can come back for it later Jarak," he said, only for Jarak to scoff.

"C'mon Sklar, you really think those jewels will be here when we get back? The guys behind us will pillage it before we do. Let's hit it now, and get the good stuff," he said, as some of the others voiced their support.

Jarak thought for a moment, before greed won out. "alright, let's do it," he said with a grin.

Sklar let out a triumphant shout, before rushing towards the store, followed by his comrades. Just as he rushed through the door though, he heard a beeping noise. "Wha-?" was all he managed to get out before the entire store erupted into flames, incinerating his body instantly, as well as the bodies of his comrades right behind him. The other pirates were thrown back by the explosions, some of them burning while others were pierced with debris that had overwhelmed their kinetic barriers. Still others had their organs liquefied and their bones shattered by the concussive force of the blast.

Only Jarak and a few others, who had been at the back of the group, were spared death, instead being hit by the shockwave and thrown back onto the ground. Dazed, head ringing and his four eyes out of focus, Jarak slowly got to his knees, only to feel several impacts against his shields, then armor, then his body, throwing him back to the ground. He weakly looked down at his chest, seeing the armor he wore torn open in several places on the chest, and dark red blood oozing from the wounds. Weakly glancing up, he now saw a few armored figures in the windows of the buildings around them, making him curse weakly. "D-Damnit…," he said, as the world went dark.

Above, Walthers nodded in approval. "Good idea booby trapping the store, Hicks," he said to a female marine nearby, who grinned.

"Pirates are dumb like that sir," she said, putting a couple of notches on the butt of her Lancer.

"Alright people, let's displace to the next position. Keep your heads down," Walthers said, as his marines began to move out quickly, falling back to their next planned ambush point, knowing they had to give Alicia and the others more time to ready the defensive perimeter.

On the south side, Sergeant Teagan nodded as he saw the last of the batarian slaver group his marines had engaged fall to the ground, grasping weakly at his throat. His men had moved to the rooftops surrounding one of the larger streets, and when the slavers had come through, had lobbed grenades down at them, killing dozens in mere seconds. The stragglers, disoriented and surprised, had been quickly gunned down, the final one being shot by a corporal opposite Teagan's position. "Good work people. Fall back to position Beta," he ordered, as they quickly began moving out.

The pirates and slavers that made up the first wave of Haliat's ground invasion soon found themselves being ambushed across the city, being hit by surprise explosions or bursts of weapon fire. Most of the initial groups were so surprised they were unable to respond, being wiped out within minutes or seconds of contact. A few managed to find cover, radioing the news to the groups following up behind them.

Titerius growled angrily, his mandibles flaring slightly as the reports came in from the few survivors of the foremost groups. They had lost any advantage surprise had given them, and the enemy was already inflicting large casualties on their forward units. With no choice, he ordered as many pirates and slavers into the city as were ready, to simply flood the streets and alleys and force these ambushers back.

Alicia stood on the main street of Illyria, watching as a mixture of marines and civilians finished setting up the defensive barricades, and quickly took up positions behind it, checking their weapons. The marines were doing so with calm proficiency, but the civilians were all nervous, one woman fumbling with a thermal clip before managing to slot it into the cooling chamber of the Predator she had been issued. She trembled as she looked over the barricade, only to glance as a nearby soldier spoke to her, causing her to nod and take a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

Alicia's gaze moved to the Mako rolling up slightly behind the defensive line, as well as an older M29 Grizzly. Unlike the smaller Mako, the Grizzly was heavier, longer, and slower, with a configuration that gave it great stability, but made it less maneuverable. Because of this, Grizzlys were more and more becoming a staple 'defensive vehicle' in Marine garrisons, leaving the Mako to fulfill the role of a fast moving 'scout and assault' vehicle. The Grizzly easily fulfilled its role thanks to the much larger 203mm cannon mounted on it, compared to the smaller 155mm cannon of the Mako.

Seeing this defensive position was established, she activated her comm. "What's our status people?" She asked.

" _East barricade secure ma'am!_ "

" _North barricade ready to go!_ "

" _Western barricade is complete._ "

The reports came in from each of the barricades, with soldiers and civilians taking up positions behind the defensive fortifications, or in the buildings behind the line. Alicia nodded as she switched to her brother's channel. "Naruto, how about your men?"

Naruto, currently perched in an office inside one of the tower office buildings located in the center of the city, tapped the side of his helmet. "My snipers have put themselves up in good positions. We've got fairly good firing lanes over the majority of the barricades, except for one in the south eastern sector. It's in a bit of a blind spot."

"Roger that," she said, before switching to a more open frequency. "Alright people, bunker down and lets get ready. Remember, don't give them standing targets. Use your cover and pick them off. They have to get past us to win."

At that moment, a voice broke in. " _Lieutenant Shepard, the enemy is coming in full force! We're not going to be able to ambush them this time,_ " Walthers said.

" _Confirmed! Massive groups of enemies on our trackers! Request permission to fall back and reinforce the defensive perimeter!_ " Teagan's voice echoed over the comm.

"Permission granted! Heads down and get back here double time! Move!" Alicia ordered, before moving to her own position there at the southern barricade, pulling out her Lancer. "Check your thermal clips, and let's get ready!" She shouted.

All along the line, soldiers and civilians alike checked their weapons, a few silently whispering or praying under their breath. At one barricade on the eastern side, a man quietly crossed himself, whispering under his breath as he prayed to God, before glancing at the civilian to his left, finding a turian there. The turian had his eyes closed, and was whispering quietly as well, clearly in a form of prayer. The human slowly blinked at that, before settling into his position, starting to think that maybe there wasn't that much of a difference between humans and other aliens after all, as he began his own quiet prayer, crossing himself.

Alicia watched as her motion tracker lit up, showing the incoming blue blips of one of the ambush squads. "Hold fire, friendlies incoming!" she said, knowing the civilians would be too excited to register the distant shapes as allies.

*Soldiers by Otherwise*

The ambush squads quickly vaulted over the barricades, taking up their own positions along the line. Now they waited, the air feeling heavy, the city silent save for the engines of the vehicles, or the heavy breathing or quiet whimpering or sobbing of one of the civilians.

And then Alicia's motion tracker lit up again, this time with a few red blips, that soon began to morph into a larger group of red blips, and then soon the entire upper portion of her tracker, indicating the area ahead of her, was filled with red blips. Alicia quietly activated her comm, now whispering her instructions. "Snipers, you take the first shots. Pick off the officers, heavy weapon wielders, or snipers. We'll take the rest," she said quietly, as she steadied her Lancer, bringing it up to her shoulder. Along the line, others did so as well.

Down the road, they could hear some laughter, shouts and jeers from the pirates, soon followed by the irregular mass thunder of hundreds of armored boots tramping towards them at uneven paces. And then the first ones appeared visually, a large group of batarians, some wearing full armored suits, others wearing bits and pieces of armor or just normal clothing. Each and every one of them was armed though with a variety of weapons, ranging from shotguns to assault rifles and battle rifles.

Alicia narrowed her eyes as her HUD identified one of them moving forward, gripping what definitely looked like some type of grenade or rocket launcher. And he definitely seemed intent on using it, as he started to raise the weapon. Activating her comlink to Naruto, she said two simple words: "Do it."

The batarian was raising his heavy weapon when he suddenly jerked, thrown back as a spurt of dark red liquid shot into the air from the middle of his forehead, followed by the crack of a sniper rifle echoing through the air. The batarian fell back dead, the second hand shield generator clipped to his clothing offering no protection against the round from Naruto's Viper. He fell back dead, as Alicia raised her Lancer. "Light em up!" She shouted.

And with that, the entire barricade came alive with weapons fire, tracers ripping through the air and burying themselves into the ranks of pirates and slavers. Numerous batarians, turians, and humans all along the first few ranks dropped, dead or wounded from the rounds ripping into their bodies. A few of those still standing were initially saved by their kinetic shields, only for those to quickly fail under the withering assault and for them to drop as well. The pirates behind them quickly rushed to find cover, diving into stores and buildings, alley ways, or behind parked vehicles, lamp posts, or any other cover they could. Those unable to find cover dropped to the ground, hugging it to make them harder targets.

Behind the defenders, the vehicles began to add their own fire with their cannons, the six and eight inch shells ripping through cover like it wasn't there and sending pirates, or their body parts, flying from the explosions. One unfortunate batarian, carrying several grenades on bandoliers, was sent crashing into a parked sky car from such an explosion, before his grenades went off, causing the skycar to explode and killing him as well as the huddled group of human pirates using the skycar for cover.

All along the defensive perimeter, it was the same, as Alliance marines and the mixed civilian defenders opened up on their invading enemies, pouring fire into them and driving them into cover.

Up above, from his vantage point, Naruto quietly aimed at an armored turian who was obviously speaking into a radio unit mounted into his armor. Lining up the sights, Naruto quickly fired three rounds at the turian. The first two dropped his shields while the third round ripped through the softer material around the spiked bastard's neck, dropping him instantly. Checking his thermal readout for his weapon and seeing it was still good, he quickly found a new target, a batarian taking potshots at the defensive line with a shotgun, firing a single round at the alien slaver's unarmored and shield head and ending his life.

Alicia ducked down as a spray of bullets impacted the barricade in front of her, glancing down the line. Invariably, the pirates and slavers had now started firing back at the defenders, forcing them to duck into cover. A few of the civilians had been injured, and Alicia felt her throat tighten as she saw one man lying on the ground, a gaping hole where his left eye should be. Growling angrily, she peeked over the barricade, and seeing a batarian poking out of cover, shot up and fired a quick burst, letting out a grunt of satisfaction as she saw him go down. Ducking down again, she turned to a group of marines hiding a bit back from the main defensive line. "Hammer team, you ready?" She asked them over her comm.

Hammer team was the platoon of marines stationed on Elysium who were trained as engineers, technical soldiers capable of not only repairing vehicles and building defensive emplacements, but also sabotaging enemy weapons, shields, and armor during combat, as well as deploying combat and defensive drones. Alicia had divided the platoon up all along the defensive line, to support the defenders at key spots.

Now, with the enemy in cover, she signaled the section of Hammer team assigned to her sector to set to work. Immediately one of the engineers's pulled out his drone kit, typing a few commands into his omni-tool and causing the spherical holographic drone to appear. The drone rose up, before launching itself over the barricade, homing in on a group of batarians and turians hiding inside a building. The drone, a military class combat drone, immediately fired a barrage of mini rockets all along the front of the building, causing the entire front to be blown out and killing or maiming the majority of the pirates and slavers hiding there. Turning, the drone, still not being fired upon, focused on a couple of pirates hugging the ground. Homing in on them, this time it instead launched a bolt of high powered electricity at one of them, shorting out his armor and shielding. A second pulse hit him directly, electrocuting the man and ending his life. The other pirate began frantically firing at the drone, who fired a pulse of lighting at him, but quickly succumbed to his fire. Badly damaged and nearing expiration, the drone threw itself at the pirate, exploding violently and killing the pirate in the process.

The other engineer meanwhile was typing commands into his own omni-tool, targeting a pirate with a rather large light machine gun who was suppressing a section of the barricade with his fire. Connecting to the onboard computer in the light machine gun that was used for targeting compensation, he began hacking it, sabotaging the computer program into overheating the thermal clip. With a loud bang the light machine gun backfire, destroying the weapon and ripping the batarian pirate's hands off, causing him to scream in pain before a burst of rifle fire mercifully ended his life.

However, even though the pirates were being destroyed due to the lack of cover and equipment, they had numbers on their side, as fresh pirates moved up behind those who had fallen or were bogged down. A fresh wave of pirates now started to assault the barricade, as several of the defenders either had to duck down to try and replace the thermal clips in their weapons, or were hit by weapons fire, their wounded or dead bodies falling backwards or draping over the barricade.

Alicia decided now was the time to use her next big surprise, even as a turian civilian near her fell to the ground, clutching her shoulder. The turian was quickly hauled away for medical care, as in her place was one of the few biotic marines stationed on Elysium. The woman, a master sergeant, began gathering her biotics around her, forming a ball of energy into her hand before launching it at a group of enemies with a throwing motion of her hand. The powerful 'throw' smashed into the group, launching the forerunners back with a massive burst of kinetic energy, with enough force to shatter the ribcage of one of the pirates, and hurl them through their own group, sending the others scattering. The woman continued to launch powerful throws at groups of enemies, only to stop and shield herself in a barrier of energy, throwing her hands out to form the shield.

Alicia, her Lancer overheating and needing to cool down, stowed the weapon and called upon her own biotics, channeling the energy into both her hands. Unlike the biotic user next to her though, instead of unleashing a throw, she expelled the energy from her hands, creating a cascading wave of biotic explosions that the Alliance had dubbed as 'shockwave'. The cascading explosions ripped through a skycar being used for cover, sending it flying as well as the pirates behind it who were thrown into the air by the shockwave.

Other biotc users were also taking their place along the line, utilizing their biotics to throw enemies with bone crushing force, pull them into the air, or to shield themselves or nearby allies in barriers. A few of the more well trained biotics were unleashing more powerful attacks. On the western barricade, an asari commando who had been on vacation launched out a biotic energy ball that erupted into a swirling vortex right above a group of pirates. Before they knew what hit them, the biotic singularity yanked them off their feet, dangling them helplessly in the air. As they struggled, the commando let out a smirk as she fired a second blast of biotic energy. This one instead was a warp, a potent attack meant to manipulate dark matter into shredding the molecules of an enemy target when it impacted them. Against a single target it was deadly, but the unstable nature of the warp made it far more deadly when combined with the unstable power of an active biotic singularity. A fact demonstrated when the warp hit the singularity, causing a massive explosion of biotic energy. The pirates trapped near the center of the singularity were reduced to half disintegrated corpses, while those farther out were killed by the force of the shockwave, or the force of their flying bodies smashing into nearby buildings.

Up above, Naruto finished sliding a new thermal clip into his Viper, and after registering the weapon's thermal readings returning to normal, proceeded to check for targets again. The battle was in full swing now, the pirates fully engaged in trying to break the defensive line while the marines and colonists were holding. From the radio chatter, the defenders had suffered some losses, but they were nothing compared to the pirates, caught mostly in the open against a well entrenched and well motivated enemy.

Tracking a target carefully, he saw a batarian slaver prepping a grenade to throw. With a quick shot he hit the grenade as it was still in the slaver's hand, causing it to detonate and kill the slaver and his allies nearby. Naruto just blinked, having been aiming for the man's arm. "Well that was unexpected," he said, while the sniper next to him just gaped, having seen it through his own scope.

On the ground, Alicia was taking a moment to recuperate her strength from her use of the biotics. They were a powerful asset, but using her biotics required a lot more energy, and so biotics had to not only train to have higher stamina and endurance than other soldiers, but also had to constantly remain energized during battle. In this case, Alicia was having one of the prescribed energy drinks as another took her place on the line.

Using her momentary respite, she decided to check on the situation overall. Retreating to the forward command post, which was also doubling as a resupply post and forward medical station, she began contacting the other command posts around the defensive perimeter. "This is Lieutenant Shepard to all command posts. What's your status?"

" _Command Post Beta reporting everything under control here._ "

" _This is Charlie. We're holding them Lieutenant!_ "

" _Delta here. Situation is normal. We've taken some losses along the line where we can't get sniper support, but we're holding otherwise._ "

Alicia nodded, frowning at that last report. That one position on the south-east section of the line was their weak spot. Besides the lack of clear firing lines for her snipers, they weren't able to move any of the vehicles over there either, leaving it relatively unsupported. She had stationed a larger portion of the marines to that sector, but still it was their weak link.

"Roger that. Delta, keep an eye on that sector. If they wise up, they might try and major push there," she ordered, before ending her comms. Turning, she watched a human civilian helping a wounded marine to the medical post, as another civilian nearby took the marine's Lancer and rushed off to take his place. Watching the civilian's bravery made her nod grimly while clenching her fist. They would hold this line, no matter what.

 _SSV Agincourt_

The _Agincourt,_ an Alliance Hastings-class frigate, currently was pushing its FTL engines to maximum burn in order to reach the colony of Elysium. They had received the distress call from the _Hong Kong_ , one of the four frigates that had been scheduled to make a supply run to Elysium, stating that a large pirate force had made an assault on the planet. The _Hong Kong_ , _Falkirk_ , _Iwo Jima_ , and _Hattin_ had engaged the enemy warships in orbit, while slaver transports moved down towards the capital city of Illyria. (6)

The _Agincourt_ and her flotilla she was assigned to, a group of two cruisers and six frigates total, were the closest ships on hand, less than four hours away. They had received the initial distress call approximately two hours ago, and had immediately responded, being the first group to do so. A couple of Mass Relay jumps had left them one relay away, a journey of less than hour.

Onboard the _Agincourt,_ Navigation Quartermaster 1st Class Charles Pressly was busy plotting and adjusting the ship's planned course, while Lieutenant Kyoto, the ship's Navigator, conferred with Commander Romanoff, the ship's commanding officer. One of the nearby crewmembers leaned over to Pressly. "Hey, you think we'll get there in time Pressly?"

Pressly just nodded quietly. "We'll get there in time. This won't be another Mindoir," he said, her jaw set. Those damn aliens wouldn't get the better of the Alliance again. No sir.

At that moment, the helmsman called out over the intercom. " _Thirty minutes to Relay jump! Repeat, thirty minutes to relay jump! ETA to Elysium is one hour!_ "

Pressly felt a rush of excitement at that. They were close, and hopefully they'd be there in time.

 _Orbit over Elysium_

Elanos Haliat cursed as he saw yet another of his warships start belching plasma fires from several ports, its hull ripped open by laser fire from one of the Alliance Frigates. That made the eleventh ship destroyed or disabled since this orbital battle began, and the battle was continuing to not go in their favor. Despite outnumbering the four Alliance frigates, Haliat hadn't considered three variables that were working against him. The Alliance frigates were fighting in their home turf, and were using it to their advantage, especially since Haliat's warships had to limit their fire when the Alliance ships moved between them and the planet. If they were careless with their fire, they could rain shells down on their own ground forces. The frigates however had no such problems, darting out to close quarter ranges and using their General ARea Defense Integration Anti-spacecraft Network, or GARDIAN laser batteries, to cut into his ships, then retreating to allow their laser batteries to cool down, taking pot shots with their missiles as they hung back to recharge.

The second disadvantage was simply that all of his ships were outdated compared to their opponents. Almost every ship in his fleet was a warship that had been cast aside or had been decommissioned by their governments, and while there were attempts to keep their ships as modernized as possible, it simply wasn't enough to handle the more advanced Alliance frigates.

The third variable was the teamwork and coordination of the captains of the Alliance frigates. Haliat's warships were made up of vessels and crews belonging to different pirate captains, who made a habit of attacking each other just as much as attacking civilian colonies and transports. This meant that their teamwork extended only so far as they were willing to fight alongside each other, and little else. The Alliance ships though were captained by men who were ready to work with each other, and trusted each other, allowing them to fight more effectively.

These three variables had allowed the Alliance warships to down his fleet of nearly half its fighting power, while only suffering minor to moderate damage to their own warships. Every moment stuck fighting these warships was another moment he couldn't reinforce his ground troops with the soldiers onboard his own warships, not to mention more time the Alliance had to bring up reinforcements. They should have already been loading the transport ships up with slaves and treasure.

Instead, his ground forces had been ground to a halt, stop dead by an impressive defense put up by the colonists and their marine garrison. The last report put their ground forces casualties at thirty five percent and rising, and they hadn't managed to break through at all.

Haliat gripped the railing of the command podium on the bridge of his dreadnaught, as he felt the ship shudder from impacts of a few missiles hitting the kinetic barrier. The ship's own laser batteries had destroyed several incoming missiles from the frigates, but several had still gotten through. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the map of the battle in front of him, trying to find a point where he could flank the enemy, or drive into them and stop them from freely maneuvering. Unfortunately, there was no opening for him to exploit. He couldn't maneuver his ships quickly enough to counter the frigates. The best he could do was group them up for protection, and even then the frigates simply picked off whatever ships were on the outer most edges.

Hoping that the situation on the ground was improving, Haliat pressed a few buttons on the command console for the holographic map, changing it to act as a communicator with Titerius. Soon enough his ground commander appeared. "Titerius, I need an update," he ordered.

" _We're completely bogged down here sir! Most of our forces are held up in the open with no way of advancing or breaking through their lines!_ " Titerius reported, as in the background they could hear the screams of wounded pirates and slavers being dragged back to the shuttles for medical attention.

"You need to find a way to break through Titerius. We cannot hold our position much longer, and undoubtedly their reinforcements will be here soon. Hurry up and punch through their lines," he ordered.

On the surface, Alicia looked at the latest figures. The pirate attacks in the north had slackened off considerably, and VI controlled aerial drones had spotted numerous pirates taking long routes out and around the defensive line to reinforce their positions in the south. Alicia had thus ordered some of the defenders along the west and eastern parts of the perimeter to shift southward, while some of the soldiers in the northern part shifted to pick up the slack in those areas. If need be, she could shift reinforcements rapidly in this fashion, in case the pirates doubled back.

Ammo wise, her forces were holding out still, with plenty of thermal clips left. Casualty wise, they had over one hundred confirmed dead currently, with almost three times as many wounded, the majority of them being the civilian defenders with only a few being marines.

It seemed that at the moment, they were holding, and would continue to be able to hold against the enemy.

Alicia looked up as her comm went off, and Naruto's voice came through. " _Hey sis, I think we're winning this. A fair amount of the pirates just pulled back from the south perimeter. Think they might be retreating,_ " he said.

Alicia frowned a bit though. "All of them, or just some?"

" _Only some, but the rest don't look like they're making any plans. They're staying where they are, trading shots. Probably just trying to keep our heads down until they can pull back themselves._ "

Alicia still frowned. "I don't know, that seems a bit too easy. Keep your eyes peeled," she said, before switching her comm to the frequency used by the entire defense force. "This is Lieutenant Shepard. All commands keep your eyes peeled. The enemy might be planning something," she ordered.

Indeed, Titerius was planning something, as he consulted with his remaining ground commanders, looking over the defensive perimeter the enemy had. "Alright…we've managed to establish that they've got snipers watching almost every sector of the defensive line, except for right here," he said, highlighting the southeast portion of the perimeter. "The area is too narrow for their vehicles as well, so the only thing defended this sector of their line are their troops. This is where we'll break through. The troops we're pulling back will concentrate into a single thrust, and break through here, while the rest of our forces keep their forces occupied and stop them from reinforcing that position. Understood?"

The commanders all nodded, and quickly rushed off to issue the orders, while Titerius clenched a fist. This was their final chance to break through. If they failed here, they would fail altogether. He didn't have the manpower to make another frontal assault. Battles came down to the commanders recognizing the moments to make bold actions, and in Titerius's judgment, this was one of those moments. Watching the pirates and slavers move out, he contemplating grabbing a weapon and joining them, before shaking his head. He'd have to be ready to organize a retreat if need be.

In orbit, Haliat frowned as his communication officer suddenly stiffened. "What is it?" He ordered.

The communication officer turned to him. "Sir, our sentry ship near the Relay reported in...eight Alliance warships have entered the system, and our heading for us," he reported in a shaking voice.

Haliat froze at that, before slowly looking at the holographic galaxy map, currently set to show a map of the orbital battle around Elysium, including combat data on the ships and structures in orbit. Indeed, the map was already being updated with this new data, indicating eight incoming warships with estimated speed and time till firing range.

In that instant, Haliat knew they had lost. His ground forces would never break through and return in time. Even if they tried to evacuate now, it would take too long. If four Alliance frigates had been capable of reducing his warships to floating debris over the course of hours, what would eight more warships do to his dwindling ships?

No, they had lost. And Haliat knew there was only one course of action. Straightening himself, he opened a comm channel to all of his remaining warships. "All ships, this is Elanos Haliat. Disengage from orbit and prepare for a fighting retreat. We're falling back to the Mass Relay," he ordered.

The CIC crew all gaped at him, as he continued. "We'll move in formation and keep firing at every enemy ship that we encounter. But focus on getting to the Relay. Move out," he ordered, before cutting the comm. "Helm, take us out to the Relay, and plot a course for the Terminus Systems. Any system will do," he said, turning to move away.

"Sir, what about our ground forces? They'll be cut to shreds without any support!" One of his officers protested, only for Haliat to fix him with a cold stare.

"They're lost already. Even if they aren't routed by the ground defenders, the warships will drop reinforcements to cut them off. If we leave now, the Alliance ships will focus on trying to reinforce their defenders, rather than trying to stop us. Sacrifice some to save others," he retorted. "Now get moving. You have your orders," he said.

His officers stood there, before slowly moving, ordering their subordinates into action, as Haliat simply moved to the doors leading out of the CIC, to head to his quarters. They were finished, and so was he. He had been the one to gather everyone, to propose the plan with the backing of his financial investors. This plan had been his glorious moment, his crowning achievement as the strongest criminal leader in the Terminus Systems. And now it was ending in disaster. He'd be lucky to even be accepted in another criminal group, let alone be in command of any forces. Clenching one tri digit hand, he quietly vowed vengeance against those who ruined him. Whoever it was that had thwarted his plans so effectively. He'd make them pay for this.

On the ground, Alicia was gripping the table as reports came in. The pirates had launched fresh attacks along almost the entire perimeter, bogging all of her forces down. What didn't make sense to her was that the pirates and slavers didn't seem to be intent on advancing; they only seemed intent on engaging her forces and keeping them tied up. Why weren't they trying to take the barricades?

The answer came when a frantic report came over the comms. " _This is Corporal Daniels on the south east barricade! They're pushing us hard here! I don't think we can-_." The transmission abruptly ended, as Alicia immediately turned to the UAV controllers.

"I need a visual on the south east barricade! Now!" She shouted. The controller nodded, and quickly maneuvered his drone into position. As the visual came up, they could see the defenders of the barricade in that position being overrun, some running from their positions, others being overrun and captured or killed.

"Damnit," Alicia cursed, turning to her table. "Are there any forces available to route over to that position?!"

"No ma'am. All forces are currently engaged. The only ones not fighting are the wounded or those here," replied one of the marines present. Alicia knew she couldn't take the people in the command post into combat. They were needed to coordinate the other defenders. She knew of only one person available to reinforce the south east barricade.

"Very well then…continue to coordinate the other barricades. I'll handle this myself," Alicia said, pulling out her Katana shotgun and checking the thermal clip inside, before starting to move out. As she exited the door, she found herself being confronted by Naruto. "I take it you heard?" she asked her brother.

"Eeyup. And with all due respect ma'am…you're going to need me," he said.

Alicia looked at him, and grinned a bit ruefully before securing her breather mask to her helmet. "I don't suppose threatening to charge you with insubordination will make you return to your snipers?" She asked.

"No ma'am," Naruto said, gripping his Viper, as Alicia just nodded.

"Very well…Lieutenant Uzumaki, you're with me," she said, before holding out a fist. "Ready to rock?"

Naruto just grinned behind his own mask as he bumped his sister's fist. "Ready to roll," he said, as the two rushed off towards the barricade.

A group of armed humanoids stopped as they reached the corner of a building, with their leader slowly leaning his helmeted head around the corner, searching. The figure turned to his followers, the visor of his helmet turning transparent, revealing four eyes. The batarian nodded to his squad mates. "Looks clear," he said in a harsh, guttural sounding tone, while lifting up the assault rifle in his hands to a ready position.

His followers, a mixed group of humans, batarians, and turians, all readied their weapons, and quickly sprinted around the corner, weapons at the ready. They were the forward most group of the pirates that had managed to break through the south eastern barricade, and were trying to reach the Alliance command post to disrupt their communications and coordination.

The batarian leading the group watched his squad spread out, weapons up as they scanned for any sign of defenders. One of them stopped as they saw movement, and quickly began to fire their shotgun at said movement. The entire squad swung around, opening up as well, their projectiles ripping into what had been a lively electronic advertisement sign, which now sputtered and collapsed, electronic sparks shooting off of it as it was ripped to pieces by the projectiles.

"Cease fire damnit!" The batarian shouted, as his squad did so. Some of them glared at the human who had started firing, who had a bit of a sheepish grin on his face. The grin evaporated though when the sound of a shotgun blast ripped through the air and he was thrown back, his armor's kinetic barriers failing completely and his armor being torn open by the spread of pellets. Blood spurted from the chest wound, splashing another batarian pirate near him as he let out a grunt, gasping for air as he bled out.

Before the rest could even react, another of their number, a turian, was sent flying as what seemed like a glowing blue comet smashed into him, shattering his armor and the bones in his chest. He was sent flying back, only to be killed as a second shotgun blast ripped into his torso, ending his life.

The group whirled, seeing a new figure in their midst, holding the smoking shotgun. The figure was female, clad in standard Alliance combat armor and wearing a fully sealed helmet, with the blue glow of biotics surrounding her entire body. The only visible part of her was a pair of blue eyes, as she cheekily waved at the pirates.

"Hey there boys," she said, before letting out a yell as her biotics flared and she slammed a fist into the ground, creating a massive shockwave of biotic energy that slammed into the pirates surrounding her, sending them flying with incredible force. One of them, a turian, went flying back the way they came, hitting the ground and rolling, while a batarian slammed into a building, his body broken by the impact, and a third smashed into one of his comrades with such force that it broke his neck and drove his comrade into a wall. The other pirates were staggered by the sudden biotic attack, and so they couldn't react when this biotic wielding soldier brought up her shotgun, blasting a human female who was barely regaining her footing. The shot ripped through the woman's helmet, turning her head to a mass of red pulp as the soldier spun, shooting another in the leg and dropping him before using a compressed wave of biotic energy to send him flying into a wall head first, crushing his skull.

The batarian leader growled and raised his own assault rifle, firing at the biotic woman. The first shot hit the woman's kinetic barriers, and she quickly dropped down, sliding behind a skycar that was parked nearby. The two other pirates still on their feet also began firing at the skycar, as they all advanced on the woman.

Suddenly, a small beeping disc flew over the vehicle, and the batarian leader's eyes went wide. "GRENADE!" He shouted, jumping to one side. One of the remaining pirates, a human, dodged as well, but the remaining one, a batarian, reacted too late, and disappeared in a flash of flames and shrapnel as the grenade exploded at his feet.

The human pirate tried to stagger back to his feet, only to get slammed by a second biotic charge, followed by another shotgun blast to the chest as he went flying, his dead body smashing through a storefront window. The batarian leader, his head reeling from the explosion, struggled to reach for his assault rifle, only for an armored boot to land on it. He slowly looked up at the human female, who had her shotgun pointed at his face. "Well…get it over with human," he spat out.

The human titled her head for a second, before shrugging. "If you say so," she said, before pulling the trigger and shooting him point blank in the face, reducing his head to a dark red crater. She slowly lowered her shotgun, stepping off the batarian and looking back the way she had come, raising her free hand to press against the side of her helmet, as if talking to someone. As she did so, she missed the sight of the pirate who was thrown back the way the pirates had come getting back to his feet. The turian shook his helmeted head, before looking at the woman. Seeing her distracted, he raised his assault rifle, about to fire, when there was a sudden sharp pain in his face that lasted for not even a second before he knew no more.

Alicia turned to see the corpse of the final turian slump over with a hole in the center of his helmet's visor, before turning to see Naruto rising up from his crouched position on top of a truck, his Viper smoking slightly from the barrel. "Nice shot," she said.

Naruto however was frowning as he joined his sister, the pair advancing forward towards the overrun barricade. "You didn't need to kill that batarian. He was defenseless," he said.

"I couldn't have left him there, and we don't exactly have anyone to hand him over to, do we?" Alicia asked, before her tone grew darker. "Besides, he wanted me to kill him, so I granted his wish," she said.

Naruto let out a frustrated sigh as he dropped the subject. He knew that his sister had a very strong dislike, bordering on hatred, for batarians. He could understand why, given how batarians were responsible for the death of their father, Malcolm. But even still, he didn't think killing them in cold blood was the answer. But right now wasn't the time to talk about it, especially as they came around a corner, and found their objective.

The defenders at the barricade were gone, either fled, dead, or captured. They could see the pirates and slavers even now working to tear down the defenses, to make it easier for troops to move through, as others prepared to fan out to strike at the nearest barricades. Naruto gripped his Viper as the pair stopped, staring at the mass before them. "That's a whole lot of them," he said quietly.

"Yeah...loser has to buy the drinks when this is all over?" Alicia asked, challenging Naruto.

Naruto just grinned as he placed his sniper rifle on his back, and pulled out his Lancer. "You're on," he said, as Alicia smirked, channeling her biotics.

*Feel Invincible by Skillet*

With a roar she launched herself forward with a biotic charge, turning into a blue biotic comet that smashed into the pirates. The one she impacted was sent flying, smashing through his comrades, sending several flying. Before they could react, Alicia continued to channel her biotic energy from the charge into her fist, smashing it into the ground and sending out another Nova wave, sending the remaining pirates around her flying.

Even as she crouched, she felt Naruto's hand on her back as he vaulted over her, firing his Lancer with his other hand as he landed on his feet and rolled forward, coming up into a crouch and firing at the pirates closest to him, felling several with his continuous fire. Alicia quickly moved next to him, firing several bursts with her shotgun, killing three batarians.

The pirates at the barricade could only gape at this seemingly suicidal charge from the two Alliance soldiers, before they turned to fire at them. Naruto dropped his Lancer and threw out his hands, red biotics swirling around him before forming into a barrier that withstood the fire. Alicia charged her own biotics and launched a shockwave through the barrier, sending a large swathe of pirates and slavers flying from the cascading waves of biotic energy.

Naruto dropped his barrier, grabbing his Lancer and charging, shooting the now cooled weapon down as he cleared the last pirates on the half destroyed barricade. Seeing a turian start to climb up he quickly channeled his biotics to his right hand, rearing back and punching the turian, sending him flying with his neck twisted at a fatal angle. Dropping behind what was left of the barricade, he began to open fire with his Lancer, as Alicia joined him, still firing her shotgun as well.

The pirates were momentarily thrown back, absolutely stunned by this vicious assault by just two soldiers, who had already driven them back off the barricade. However, numbers gave them back their confidence, and they charged, firing at the pair of siblings.

Naruto gritted his teeth as he was forced to drop his Lancer, the weapon overheated. Not having time to let it cool, he grabbed his Viper and began firing with that, as next to him Alicia did the same with katana, grabbing her Lancer. The pair continued to hold their ground, continually putting fire into the ranks of the charging pirates, watching enemy after enemy drop dead or wounded.

Yet the numbers began to tell, as they pressed closer and closer, gaining ground through sheer numbers. It was two against hundreds, if not thousands.

As his Viper overheated, Naruto dropped it, grabbing his sidearm, as he could see Alicia doing the same. The two of them looked at each other and knowing they couldn't hold this position with just pistols, did the only thing they could do. Red and blue biotics flared as, as one, they leapt over the side, shouting and firing their pistols while charging.

The pirates soon learned the disadvantage that came from their numbers. The south eastern barricade had been placed on a narrower street, and in this confined space, biotic users would be all the more dangerous. Especially biotic users getting right into their faces, at melee range. Their comrades behind them couldn't shoot without hitting their own, and so the pirates at the front were on their own. They managed one burst of fire, enough to weaken both Alicia and Naruto's shields, before the pair was upon them.

Alicia drove a biotically enhanced fist into a human pirate's chest, shattering the armor from the force of the blow, as well as the man's ribs, while Naruto ducked under a batarian's clumsy attempt to bash him with his rifle, before rising up, grabbing the batarian by the face and smashing him into a wall, whirling to use him as a bullet shield as a turian behind him fired. Throwing the dead body into the crowd, Naruto sent out a large biotic throw, the energy projectile smashing into a pirate and sending him sailing through several of his comrades, as next to him, Alicia rapidly delivered a series of punches to an opponent, then grabbing him and using him as a battering ram to smash into the enemies ranks, driving deep into them. Smashing her now unconscious passenger to the ground, she let out another powerful nova, sending pirates and slavers around her flying, as Naruto leapt into the air over her, bringing his own fist smashing down onto an unfortunate batarian's face, smashing him into the ground. He quickly raised his pistol, firing several rounds into a human woman about to shoot him, and watched her drop as Alicia did the same.

The pirates at this point simply faltered. Those closest to the pair were absolutely terrified at these seemingly two unstoppable soldiers and began to quickly try to retreat, while those behind them tried to push forward. This momentarily created a mass of confusion and chaos, one which Naruto and Alicia decided to take advantage of.

Naruto quickly cast out a singularity, catching the pirates and slavers in the confused knot and suspending them in the air, while Alicia grinned, throwing out a biotic throw. The biotic projectile hit the singularity, causing a massive biotic explosion that incinerated the pirates closest to it, while sending those who were not as close flying.

Using the momentary distraction of the explosion, the pair quickly retreated back to the barricade, dropping behind it as they both panted heavily. Alicia grabbed her shotgun, fumbling to change the thermal clip while glancing over at her brother, who had pulled off his breathing mask to catch his breath. She blinked as she saw his eyes, now both a deep amethyst due to the red hue of his biotics mixing with the cerulean of his eyes. He glanced at her, grinning as he changed out the clip on his Viper, setting it aside to do the same on his Lancer. "That was something, eh?" He asked.

Alicia just grinned back at him. "Don't think I've had this much fun since graduation night from Basic," she said, joking along with him, as they heard the weapons fire smash into what was left of the barricade, the pirates and slavers having regrouped apparently and preparing to charge again. Naruto quickly grabbed a dextro ration bar from his pouch, biting into it to help restore his energy after the repeated biotics use, as Alicia removed her mask and grabbed her own ration bar. The pair looked at each other, silently nodding as they chewed, gripping their weapons and preparing for the next attack.

At the pirate command post, Titerius was livid as the report came in that the attack on the barricade had been somehow driven back. They had taken the barricade, and were preparing to run wild behind enemy lines, when two soldiers, only two soldiers, had somehow driven them back, inflicting heavy casualties without suffering even a wound. He cursed as he prepared to order another push, when one of the crew of the slaver transports rushed over to him. "Sir, our sensors have detected incoming shuttles! They're Alliance!" He shouted.

Titerius could only sag at the news, as that could only mean one thing. The Alliance frigates in orbit had driven off Haliat and the fleet, and were even now dispatching reinforcements. With that, he knew this battle was at an end. He immediately activated his comm, setting it to a general frequency to address every surviving pirate and slaver. "This is Titerius. I'm ordering a full retreat. Enemy reinforcements are en-route. I repeat, this is a full retreat order. Everyone return to the ships. We're leaving this Spirits forsaken planet," he said, before shutting off his comms. "Start getting everyone and everything we can onto the transports. We're going to try and make a run for it," he said.

The crew member just nodded, rushing back to his ship as Titerius moved to his own, cursing Haliat and cursing the humans for this disaster.

Around the defensive perimeter, colonists, tourists, and marines could only watch with growing relief as the pirates abandoned their positions, fleeing back the way they had come, leaving behind countless dead and wounded. A ragged cheer began amongst some, and soon started to encompass the entire defensive perimeter, as they realized that they had done it. They had won!

However, for some there was no time to celebrate. 2nd Lieutenant Romeo quickly gathered a group together and rushed towards the south east barricade, to hopefully find and relieve the Shepard siblings.

At the south east barricade, Naruto grunted as he barely threw off a batarian who had tried to grapple him to the ground, shooting his pistol point blank into the alien's chest, before gripping his left shoulder, which was bleeding from a bullet wound. Next to him Alicia was crouched down low, her helmet cast aside after a turian with a knife managed to pin her down and slash at her face. The knife had managed to cut through the helmet and visor, scouring a cut above her left eye, from which blood could even now be seen pouring out of it. The pair of them, battered and bloody, still held their ground, firing whatever weapons they had on hand, or resorting to biotics and their own fists when their weapons overheated.

Naruto panted heavily, slumping down and scrabbling to find his last thermal clip, preparing for the next assault, when he heard the cries of 'retreat'. Looking over the barricade, his eyes widened as he saw the pirates and slavers running. Alicia watched as well, in amazement and relief, as their enemies fled before them, leaving a street littered with dead or dying batarians, turians, and humans. The two could only stare at their retreating enemies growing smaller in the distance, before looking at each other. A slow smile spread across both their faces, before the two of them both just started laughing, laughing in joy and relief. They were still laughing when the relief forces arrived.

In orbit, Pressly smiled grimly as he saw another red light on the holographic battle display disappear, indicating yet another pirate ship had been destroyed. It was the second one claimed by the _Agincourt_ , as the Alliance flotilla engaged the retreating pirate warships after intercepting them on their way to the Mass Relay. Yet instead of engaging them in pitched battle, the pirate vessels were moving with single minded purpose to the Relay, attempting to escape while only firing on the Alliance warships that were in their way or moved close enough into weapons range to engage them. The Alliance vessels had returned fire, claiming nine of the thirteen remaining pirate warships, but they had to let the remaining four ships escape, as the situation on Elysium was of a higher priority. They needed to land relief forces on the planet quickly, as reports from the frigates in orbit indicated there was still a large enemy presence on the planet.

Pressly could only watch as the remaining four enemy targets reached the Relay, escaping back to whatever hole they crawled out of, before turning his attention to the necessary calculations for achieving a holding orbit around Elysium, quickly punching in the calculations and transmitting them to the Navigator. As the _Agincourt_ neared the planet, new red blips appeared on the battle map.

"Sir, it looks like the pirate ground forces are in full retreat! We've got numerous transports attempting to leave the planet's surface!" The sensor officer called out, as Commander Romanoff smiled grimly.

"So I see…patch me through to the _Cairo_. Let's see what Captain Ashton would like to do regarding those slave ships," he said, as the comm officer quickly did so.

Onboard his ship, Titerius could only stare at the Alliance ships ahead of them. He knew this would be a massacre, as they were onboard lightly armed and armored transports, facing against heavily armed warships. He looked at the comm console as it began to beep, indicating a hail from the Alliance ships. The comm officer activated the panel, as a voice spoke over the comm.

" _This is Captain Alexander Ashton of the SSV Cairo. You are hereby ordered to disengage your engines and weapons and surrender yourselves to Alliance custody. Failure to do so will result in hostile action. You have sixty seconds to comply._ "

Titerius simply slumped in his command chair. There was no way to escape. He and his men were either going to die, or become prisoners. He looked at the men on the command bridge of the transport, a small group of no more than four officers, before looking through the viewports at the Alliance vessels. Straightening himself up, he looked to his helm officer. "…make full speed for the Alliance cruiser…advise all ship captains to do what they think is right…but we will not go quietly," he ordered.

Pressly could only watch as some of the indicators on the map signified that the ships they represented were powering down, while others immediately began veering in different directions, attempting to flee. Commander Romanoff just nodded, before turning to his fire control officer. "Fire at will," he said simply.

Titerius watched grimly as his ship headed for the Alliance cruiser _Cairo_. The last thing he saw though was the flash of his main cannon, before the magnetically accelerated slug ripped through the bridge of his transport and exiting out the back, turning the transport into so much debris and organic paste in a single shot.

On the surface, the victorious defenders could only stare up in the sky in eye, as they could see the distance pinpricks of light and the slightly larger explosions, as the Alliance warships opened up on the slave transports attempting to flee or fight. And as the shuttles bearing Alliance marines landed and fresh troops were deployed, they knew that they had won.

The Skyllian Blitz was over.

* * *

 **Whew! I did not think this chapter would be this long. But well…this is something I really wanted to try and get right, and I really hope I did so. They never actually really covered all the details of the Skyllian Blitz, only giving us some information, so I had to make up a lot of this on my own. Well, not really on my own, had a lot of help from a7xfanatic1195. Thanks again buddy!**

 **So, I really hope you all enjoyed this, and it wasn't too boring or long or anything. Guess I'll see what you all think in the reviews, won't I?**

 **Thanks go out again to Kyuubi123 and a7xfanatic1195 for their help in betaing this chapter and fanfic. You guys are awesome!**

 **So, till next chapter!**

 **1\. So yes, ranks. If you've played Mass Effect, you may or may not have seen the codex regarding ranks within the Alliance Military. In said codex, they stated that because of how intertwined the naval and marine branches were in working together, the military ranks for both naval and marine personnel were largely the same, with only some being distinct for each branch out of a sense of pride. However, if you play Mass Effect 3, you find that said codex is then quickly tossed out the airlock, as a couple of the crewmen on the Normandy are Ensigns, a rank not present in the previously mentioned codex. As such, to both respect the armed men and women of the United States Military, and to save my own sanity, I will be following standard, separate ranks for the Navy and Marine Corps.**

 **2\. Navy/Marine jargon for the hat that is part of their uniform.**

 **3\. Okay, before anyone bites my head off here, yes I know that in the game Elanos Haliat appears as a human. However, if you actually read up on the trivia regarding his character, you'll see he was supposed to be a turian, but was given a human model in game by accident. However, his dialogue remains the same, referring to Shepard and humanity as 'your species' or 'your kind', as well as having the same 'flanged' tone all the turians have. And to be honest, it just overall makes a lot more sense for Haliat to be a turian instead of a human, as humans wouldn't be that respected or liked in the criminal circles. At least, not at this point and time.**

 **4\. For visual reference, their current armor's are the same type worn by the Alliance marines in ME3. This will be the standard Alliance marine armor throughout my fanfics. Also, it will be standard procedure for all soldiers to enter combat with their helmets on and fully sealed with breather masks.**

 **5\. 2** **nd** **Lieutenants in the Marine Corps are equivalent to an Ensign in the Navy, rank wise. Since Alicia is a LT(JG), that puts her at an equivalent rank to a full Lieutenant from the Marine Corps. Which is why they're deferring to her for command.**

 **6\. Referencing The Battle of Hattin on July 4** **th** **1187, in which Saladin, Sultan of Egypt, wiped a large Crusader army in the Holy Land, allowing him to then move on to conquer Jerusalem and spark the 3** **rd** **Crusade.**


	5. The Fox and the Hound

**Well from the reviews I was able to see, a lot of you really enjoyed the last chapter. That's great. I'm happy you all enjoyed it so much.**

 **Quick note, before we begin here. One of the reviews, an anonymous one called Guest, brought up thermal clips. I mentioned them in my previous chapters, despite the fact that thermal clips are not introduced until Mass Effect 2. This is something that I did talk about in the previous chapter, but I did not explain my reasoning for using thermal clips now rather than later. For that, I apologize. My reason for using thermal clips is because ultimately the weapons technology of both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 &3 is flawed, but merging them together actually becomes something that is more realistic. Mass Effect gives you weapons that are essentially 'infinite ammo' weapons. The only limitation is how many shots you fire before the weapon overheats and cools down. Mass Effect 2 and 3, they impose an ammo system on the players, though they disguise it as stating 'this is how many rounds you can fire before your weapon overheats and you have to replace the thermal clip'. **

**Thing is, cooling technology doesn't work the way they would have us believe it does in ME2 and ME3. A thermal clip wouldn't have some set limit before it becomes unusable, because long periods of inactivity would allow it to cool down as well, thus extending the periods that a weapon can be used with the same thermal clip. That being said, there would come a point where whatever coolant is being used in the thermal clips would eventually be burned off by repeated use, whether that repeated use was long bursts of continuous fire, or on and off again usage over a long period of time. At which point I do think a thermal clip would have to be replaced.**

 **So, for the sake of realism, I've combined the two concepts of weapon technology to create a more realistic weapons technology. Thermal clips are a thing already, and they do need to be replaced, but they are not some 'set ammo limit' item. How long they last depends entirely on how much the weapon in question is used, and how many periods of cool down the weapon is allowed to have between periods of operation. It varies from weapon to weapon as well as from operator to operator.**

 **I hope this explains things to you 'Guest', as well as to anyone else who might have been wondering about that.**

 **Also, Mandalore the Freedom is searching for a beta for one of his fanfics, a Mass Effect. Please contact him if you're interested.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mass Effect. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Bioware respectively. Please support the official releases.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **The Fox and the Hound**

Lance Corporal Ashley Williams, marine of the Systems Alliance Marine Corps, let out a soft grunt as she adjusted to a change in the flight path of the Kodiak transport shuttle she and her fellow marines currently were riding in. She was one of close to a platoon's worth of marines re-assigned to the garrison on one of the Alliance's relatively young colonies located out in the Terminus Systems. Currently, their Kodiak, one of a flight of three carrying the new troops, was approaching the military garrison of Watson, a human colony located in the Skepsis System of the Sigurd's Cradle nebula cluster.

Watson was unique in that after it was discovered by human exploration probes, three separate human confederations on Earth had claimed the planet for colonization. The System's Alliance ended up brokering the 'Reykjavik Compromise', which allowed the Chinese People's Federation, the United North American States, and the European Union to start up limited colony cities on the planet of Watson. Due to the colony's location, and the fact that the three coalitions colonizing it couldn't unite even for the colony's defense, the Alliance had stationed garrisons both on the planet, and on the moon orbiting the planet, known as Franklin. The latter was also home to large missile silos housing Javelin missiles, powerful anti-ship projectiles that would rip apart any large scale ships that entered their range. They were a new addition to the Alliance's arsenal.

The nineteen year old brunette quietly shifted in her seat, making sure her duffel bag was secured beneath her as she felt the shuttle start its final approach towards the garrison base known as Fort Reykjavik, in honor of the compromise that led to the colonization of this planet. As she looked up, she couldn't help but note, yet again, the subtle distance between her and her fellow marines. To the average observer, it wouldn't seem so, as the Kodiaks were not exactly spacious shuttles, with barely enough room for maybe twenty soldiers sitting in the seats or standing and gripping the ceiling rails. Currently there were fifteen marines, counting herself, with all their duffel bags and other equipment taking up the remaining space. Even still though, the other marines seemed to be sitting apart from her. And she knew perfectly well why there was a distance between them. It had to do with who she was, and who her family was.

During the First Contact War, her grandfather, Harold Williams, had been a general in the Alliance Marine Corps, and in charge of the garrison of Shanxi. It had been he who had struggled to resist the turian occupation, and ultimately surrendered to the turian occupiers, in order to save the civilians and his remaining soldiers from the brutal and destructive methods of the turian occupation force.

When the war ended due to the Council's intervention, her grandfather was brought back to Earth in shame, being the first and currently only human military leader to surrender to an alien race. While no charges were brought against him, he was still humiliated and drummed out of the service.

When Ashley's own father joined the service as well, the taint of her grandfather's actions followed with him. Not trusting the son of the first and only human commander to surrender to an alien, Terrence Williams was never able to rise above the rank of Seaman Recruit, and given a series of worthless postings within the Alliance Navy. (1)

And now Ashley herself was serving in the military as well. Unlike her father, she had ended up in the Marine Corps, as she had been refused service in the Navy. Because of the dishonor heaped on her grandfather, and the stigma holding back her father, Ashley had pushed herself hard during Basic Training. She did not give them a single moment to doubt her resolve or her commitment. She remembered what he father told her before she went to Basic; 'that a Williams had to be better than the best, if only to avoid suspicion'. And she fully intended to live by those words.

Thankfully, her resolve had paid off, if only slightly. In the three years since she graduated Basic, she had managed to rise to the rank of Lance Corporal, though that did little to soothe her anger and growing bitterness. She had seen marines less dedicated, skilled, or passionate as she be promoted before her, and knew that despite her efforts, the 'Williams Curse' was still strong.

Especially now, as she was assigned to a colony in the middle of nowhere. Ashley sighed as she rubbed her face, before looking up as the intercom buzzed and the pilot spoke up. " _ETA to LZ is two mikes. I'd suggest you all get strapped in and ready to land_."

The other marines in the shuttle quickly began to get themselves squared away, as Ashley checked the harness that secured her into her seat. Seeing it was secured, she settled in as the Kodiak made its final approach towards the landing pad.

As the shuttle landed and the door on the starboard side of the shuttle opened, Ashley got her first look at the world she had been assigned to, and shivered slightly as she felt cold air rush in. Watson was a garden world, but it was cooler than Earth's normal temperature. She could also feel moisture in the air, which wasn't surprising given the large amount of water covering the planet, with only a couple large continents and dozens of islands dotting its surface.

As she released her harness, grabbed her gear, and stepped out of the shuttle, placing her cover on her head, she also caught sight of two figures standing at the other end of the platform, while technicians moved forward to help secure the Kodiak and begin its post-landing maintenance. She and the other marines quickly streamed from the three Kodiaks, forming up into five ranks of nine each. Each stood at attention and saluted as the first figure, a woman in an officer's uniform with a pair of silver bars on her collar, indicating she was a captain of the Marine Corps. Behind her and to her right was a figure that all of them recognized, courtesy of the media blasting the image of him and his sister nonstop for almost six months following the Skyllian Blitz. Naruto Shepard, the only alien in the Alliance military, was also at attention, dressed in an officer's uniform, with the single silver bar of a 1st Lieutenant on his collar.

For many in the Alliance, and many other humans in Alliance space, the Skyllian Blitz had been a massive morale boost following the First Contact War and the raid on Mindoir. The Alliance colony of Shanxi being overrun by turian forces and the colony of Mindoir being pillaged and almost completely wiped out by slavers and pirates had greatly affected a lot of people, causing some people to believe humanity couldn't handle dealing with the alien cultures in the galaxy. But then the heroic stand on Elysium, where the local garrison and a goodly portion of the civilian population managed to hold off an overwhelming force of slavers, pirates, and criminals, had lifted the dampened spirits, and breathed new life into humanity's belief that it belonged in the stars. A massive award ceremony had been held, all of it being televised across Alliance and even Council space, as the heroes of the Skyllian Blitz, both military and civilian, were congratulated and awarded for their valor and courage. None more so than Alicia and Naruto Shepard, the two soldiers who had led the defense, and even fought off a massive alien onslaught by themselves. The pair of them had been awarded the Star of Terra, Earth's highest reward that could be given to its soldiers.

And now one of those two heroes was here, standing before them. This of course made quite a few of the soldiers a bit nervous, and others awe struck, especially when they realized he was also young, only twenty three years old.

The captain now spoke, addressing them. "All of you, at ease," she said. As the marines moved to the at ease position, she continued to speak. "I am Captain Maria Cutler, commanding officer of Baker Company of the 81st Battalion assigned to protect the colony of Watson, and I welcome you to your new home. As of this moment, you all are the 2nd platoon of Baker Company, and you answer to Lieutenant Shepard here, who answers to me. I expect each and every one of you to serve with obedience, courage, and alertness. This assignment is not a cakewalk people, because we are the Alliance's frontier, and there are plenty of people out there who think that makes us an easy target for them to attack. So be ready and alert at all times. Am I understood?"

"Ma'am yes ma'am!" Chorused the marines, as Captain Cutler nodded.

"Alright then. Lieutenant Shepard will show you the base and get you squared away in your barracks. You'll be receiving your duty assignments at 2100 hours. That's all," she said. As one, they all saluted her, which she responded with her own salute, before turning and walking off. Naruto now moved in front of them to address then.

"Listen up," he said, as he stood before them. "I know that a lot of you probably are having some reservations about serving under an alien. Well let me settle this here and now. If you've got problems, I want to hear them. Do not hide them from me," he said. "No matter what you may think, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I may not be human, but I am an officer of the Alliance, and that is where my loyalty lies. Any questions?" He asked.

No one spoke, and he quietly nodded as he looked them over. They were his soldiers, his responsibility. They would follow his orders because it was their job, but he was going to earn their respect, so that they wanted to follow his orders. His eyes lingered though on the young lance corporal in the second rank, because of the brief flash of emotion he saw on her face. He mentally frowned at having seen a look of anger and frustration on the young woman's face, before it quickly became a passive mask.

Deciding to handle the situation later, if it was a situation, he simply nodded. "Right then. Platoon! Attention! To the left, face!"

The platoon quickly came to attention, and at the second command, turned left in unison. And soon enough they were marching out, heading from the landing area and towards the barracks area.

 _Unknown Location_

A figure sat in the center of a dark room, the only illumination being a massive reddish-orange star visible at one end of the room. He quietly smoked a cigarette, exhaling the smoke from it as he held it in one hand.

Behind him, a figure approached him, moving into the light, revealing it was a woman carrying a data pad and dressed in gray, white, and black themed scientist attire. She stopped at the figure's side, and handed him the data pad. "Sir, this report just came in from our lead operative on Operation Remnant. He reports that his team is in position with currently no trouble, and they are beginning their information gathering.

The figure looked at the data pad with glowing blue artificial eyes. "Good. Are there any indications that his position might be compromised?" He asked.

"No sir. While Council agents are searching for him concerning his previous mission, there's no indication they are on his trail yet. However, we're still keeping our ear out for any possible information leaks," the assistant said, as the man nodded, still reading the data pad.

"Excellent. Keep me informed of anything new," he said, handing the data pad back to her. "That'll be all."

The assistant gave a nod, and stepped back, before turning and leaving, as the figure continued to smoke his cigarette, staring at the star as he contemplated the current assignment one of his most trusted operatives was on. The alien known as Naruto was proving to be quite an influential factor, one that he could not ignore. Finding out the Alliance was able to retain custody of Naruto was a boon to humanity, but afterwards, he had watched them squander this chance. The boy could offer so many advances, so many advantages to humanity, but instead he was raised and treated relatively like a normal person. He should have been crafted and honed into a powerful asset for the Alliance.

However, he hadn't counted on the events of Mindoir resulting in the outcome they did. Naruto and his 'sister' had joined the Alliance military, despite protests from members of the Council. And the events of the Skyllian Blitz had now catapulted that same pair into the spotlight. They were heroes of the Alliance, beacons of hope and courage.

Musing quietly, the man quietly lifted a glass of bourbon and drank it, setting the glass down. Naruto was proving to be quite a boon to the Alliance, but that did not mean he was a boon to his own goals. And that was why he had authorized Operation Remnant, and sent that team to Watson. To try and find out more about the boy, to find if he'd be amicable to his goals.

The figure known as the Illusive Man took another drag on his cigarette, as he brought up a holographic computer screen and began to type in a few commands. Yes, Naruto would prove to either be an asset to Cerberus…or he'd be a threat that would be eliminated, when his usefulness to humanity ran out.

 _Watson, Fort Reykjavik_

Naruto sighed as he sat quietly in the office for Baker Company, where the Company command staff filed paperwork associated with the running and supply of the company. The reason for his sigh was the report sitting before him.

It had been two weeks since the arrival of 2nd platoon, and in that time, Naruto couldn't help but notice a tension between certain members of his platoon, mostly centered on Lance Corporal Ashley Williams. While Naruto had not seen anything come of it though, his platoon's staff sergeant had requested to speak with him. Naruto had granted the request, and now awaited said sergeant's arrival.

As he waited for said sergeant to arrive, he quietly mulled over how different things were for him. Roughly a year ago he was being shuttled from cushy posting to cushy posting, the 'trophy' of the Systems Alliance. And then one single battle and everything changed. After the battle on Elysium, he and Alicia had been treated for their injuries, and debriefed on what had happened. They had both been whisked away back to Arcturus Station, where the Alliance planned to hold a massive award ceremony for the heroes of the Skyllian Blitz.

 _Flashback_

 _Naruto remained sitting in his seat, watching the proceedings going on inside the massive hall in Arcturus Station. Here, hundreds of military officers, civilian politicians, and news reporters were gathered to see the award ceremony being held. Naruto currently was on a stage at the front of the hall, along with Alicia, several politicians and military officers, and the Council itself._

 _Standing at the podium was Fleet Admiral Gerald Hanson, the highest ranking officer in the Alliance Military. Currently, he was speaking to everyone. "We are gathered here, on this momentous day, to honor the brave heroes who fought on the colony of Elysium. All those who fought, whether they were soldiers of the Alliance, soldiers of our esteemed allies, or civilians who bravely answered the call when their help were needed most, showed the greatest of courage and valor. Gallantry and heroism was shown by so many, that it is my greatest regret that we cannot honor them all individually. But we still honor their heroics and sacrifice this day. Each civilian who took part in the Battle of Elysium is hereby awarded the System Alliance's Medal of Valor, the highest award to possibly grant to a civilian."_

 _The audience and those on stage began to clap and cheer, as two large screens began to slowly scroll through the name of each civilian, human or otherwise, who was awarded the medal. The clapping and cheering continued on, until the last name was shown, and the screens went blank. Hanson continued at that point. "To our brave men and women in uniform, who showed their gallantry and selflessness in defending their home and those under their protection, we award each of them with the Alliance's Distinguished Service Cross, in recognition of their outstanding bravery."_

 _The clapping started up again, as again the screens lit up with the names of each of the Alliance Marines and Navy personnel receiving these rewards. Again, it continued until the list ended. Hanson smiled as he came to the final awards. "Lastly, we wish to recognize the services of two of our finest, who not only fought against the overwhelming enemy force, but led the defense of Elysium, and fought a gallant holding action against superior enemy numbers. First, 2_ _nd_ _Lieutenant Naruto Shepard," he said, as Naruto stood and walked forward, meeting the Fleet Admiral and saluting him. Hanson returned the salute. "We are proud to honor you with the highest honor we can bestow on any member of our armed forces: the Star of Terra," he said, as he held up a case, opened to reveal the medal that was the highest honor the System's Alliance had to bestow. Naruto took the case when it was presented to him as people clapped and cheered, and shook the admiral's hand, before saluting again, and returning to his seat._

 _As the cheering died down, Fleet Admiral Hanson began to speak. "Finally, it is time to honor the woman who led the defense of Elysium, and who stood against insurmountable odds, and came out victorious. Lieutenant Junior Grade Alicia Shepard."_

 _Alicia stood, and marched forward, saluting the admiral. Her left eyebrow was now slightly marred by a still somewhat vivid scar, left behind by the knife that had cut through her visor and wounded her. While conventional medicine would have easily gotten rid of the scar, Alicia had asked to keep it, as she felt it gave her a bit more character._

 _Now, the admiral saluted back, before picking up a second case. "Lieutenant Shepard, you have embodied the ideals and goals of the System's Alliance, and surpassed them. For heroism and service above and beyond the call of duty, we are proud to award you with the Star of Terra," he said, as he handed Alicia the case, and shook her hand proudly, as more cheers erupted. Naruto, from his seat, could only smile as he saw Hannah Shepard, along with Tsunade and Jiraiya, clapping and cheering quite a bit, both for him and Alicia._

 _Alicia, having accepted the reward, saluted the admiral as well, and returned to her seat. As the cheering and clapping died down, Admiral Hanson turned back to the crowd. "I now take this time to turn the podium over to Councilor Tevos of the Asari Republics, who wishes to speak as well."_

 _He stepped away from the podium and moved to his seat, while Tevos stood and moved to the podium. "Thank you Admiral Hanson. The members of the Council, as well as the various other affiliated races, wish to offer our own gratitude and admiration to the men and women of the Alliance Navy and Marines who fought and died to defend our civilians on Elysium, as well as the civilians of the various races who fought on Elysium as well. They have done all of us proud this day, embodying the courage and strength we should all aspire to achieve. But most importantly, we wish especially to extend our gratitude towards Alicia and Naruto Shepard, who led the defense of Elysium. They are the truest of heroes, and I for one applaud their actions and efforts. Thank you," she said, as she turned to look at Naruto and Alicia, and began to clap again. The entire crowd began to clap once more, even louder than before, with even Councilor Sparatus giving a rather sincere show of approval. While he may not like humanity or the Systems Alliance, he would not deny that the Shepard's actions were quite admirable and worthy of respect._

 _Naruto just grinned at Alicia, with her giving him a grin back. The two slowly stood, and bowed, accepting the new applause and cheers, as vid cameras flashed._

 _Flashback Ends_

It wasn't long after the award ceremony that the pair of them had both been promoted, Alicia to the rank of full Lieutenant while h had been promoted to 1st Lieutenant. Not only that though, but they had received invitations from the head of the Interplanetary Combatives Training program, more commonly referred to by most in the Alliance Military as the N7 Program, for the reason that the ICT program was responsible for training the best of the Alliance's Navy and Marine officers into the highly skilled and elite N7 operatives that made up the Alliances special forces. The N7's were the Alliance equivalent to the original Navy SEALS and Army Rangers of the old United States of America, as they received the best equipment, the best training, the best commands and postings, but in return were expected to give the absolute best in return.

Both of them had of course jumped at the chance, and were entered into the program, shipping out to the Vila Militar in Rio de Janerio to being their training.

As expected, the training was some of the hardest and most punishing they had ever been through. They were put through 20 hour days, with little food or sleep, running constant mock combat scenarios and drills in some of the harshest terrain on Earth, all to test their capabilities as leaders and tactical operatives. They started with a total of thirty trainees, and by the end of the training, only twelve of the trainees remained to receive the initial N1 designation, meaning they had completed the first course of training.

Following the completion of the N1 training, they had been rotated back out onto assignments, until the next round of training for the N2 designations began. This was why Naruto was now posted out on Watson, to gain more leadership experience as well as greater combat field experience.

Looking up as he heard approaching footsteps, he saw the staff sergeant of his platoon approach. The man stopped before him, and saluted. "Staff Sergeant Sasuke Uchiha sir. Thank you for your time," the man said.

Naruto stood up, returning the salute as he studied the man before him. He was slightly shorter than Naruto, with somewhat pale skin, dark brown, almost black eyes, and black hair that currently had been trimmed down to a crew cut. (2) Naruto found him to be a good soldier, following orders to the letter, and getting his assignments done promptly.

He had noticed however, from time to time, that his Staff Sergeant had been paying quite a bit of attention to him. Like he was studying or analyzing Naruto. It made Naruto wonder if Sasuke was watching him, as if wary of Naruto.

He indicated the chair across from his desk, as he sat down in his chair. "Please, sit. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.

Sasuke quickly took the seat, sitting at attention. "Sir, I thought it would be prudent to bring to your attention a couple of…incidents within the platoon, sir," Sasuke said, as Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Incidents? What kind of incidents?" Naruto asked, leaning forward.

Sasuke shifted slightly before answering. "It's nothing serious sir, just some problems between members of the platoon. They're having a tough time…adjusting to one of their fellow platoon-mates, Lance Corporal Ashley Williams," he reported.

Naruto frowned as he typed into his computer, bringing up the file of said soldier. He blinked as he recognized the woman who had flashed him a look of anger at the landing pad, before reading up on her file. "Aah, I see. What exactly is the nature of these problems? Does it have anything to do with her…family history?" He asked quietly, seeing a special notation in her file regarding her family.

"Unfortunately, yes sir. Several of the others were somewhat…vocal about their mistrust of her being able to be relied upon, whether in combat or for anything. I've noted that she has tried to hold her temper in check quite well, but…a few of the incidents came close to erupting into fights sir. And unfortunately, her squad sergeant seemed to turn a blind eye to the actions of her squad-mates. She came to me regarding the problems and I sorted it out, but I thought you should know about it, sir," Sasuke reported.

Naruto nodded, turning to him. "So you have no problems with what happened with her grandfather?" He asked.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "No sir. Forgive me for saying sir, but even if I thought what General Williams did at Shanxi was wrong, which I don't, I still wouldn't take that out on his son or granddaughter. They are their own people, sir." Sasuke said firmly.

Naruto nodded. "That's a commendable attitude, one I happen to agree with. I thank you for bringing this to my attention. Still, I think it would be prudent for me to speak to Corporal Williams to make sure everything is alright. Please have her report to my desk as soon as she is able. Is there anything else Sergeant?"

"Nothing of importance sir. Thank you for your time," Sasuke said, as he stood and saluted. Naruto returned the salute, and watched as Sasuke marched off, before sitting back in his chair, pulling up another file and starting to read it.

Ashley meanwhile was currently in the armory, going over her M-15 Vindicator assault rifle with a fine tooth comb, tweaking the weapon to match her standards. Nearby an M-92 Mantis Sniper Rifle awaited the same treatment, as did her standard issue M-3 Predator pistol.

Ashley would admit to herself she enjoyed working on her weapons. She was a good shot, and a good soldier, but her true area of expertise lay with weapons maintenance. During Basic, she could easily field strip any weapon, put it back together, and it'd run better than new when she did so. So whenever she could, she would spend time in the armory, fixing up her weapons, or even fine tuning the weapons of her squad mates, if they asked her too. Though the latter rarely happened at all.

She felt her anger bubble up in her, as she thought about recent events. About the snide comments made behind her back, or even to her face, the veiled insults because of her family history. Even her sergeant had turned a blind eye to it all when she brought it up with him while barely repressing her desired action, which was rearranging the faces of her fellow squad mates.

There had been one person who listened though; the staff sergeant, Sasuke Uchiha. She had told him about the problem, per regulations, and he had immediately spoken to the miscreants, sorting them out. He had also told her that if she had other problems, to let him know immediately.

It was hard to admit that she might have finally found someone in the Alliance who didn't show her mistrust or disgust for her family name. It felt nice to have someone she could confide in and talk to.

Letting out a sigh, she continued to tinker with her weapons, only to stop as she heard someone approaching. She quickly set down her tools, wiping her hands before turning. Seeing the man she had been thinking about, she came to attention, saluting. "Sir!"

Sasuke saluted back. "At ease corporal. I have a message for you. Lieutenant Shepard wants to speak to you as soon as you're able to meet with him," he stated.

Ashley tensed slightly, but nodded. "Understood sir. I'll get cleaned up and go see him immediately," she said.

Sasuke gave her a bit of a disarming smile. "Don't worry too much Williams. You're not in trouble," he said.

Ashley hesitated a moment. "I'm not worried about that sir," she said, unsure if she should or could speak what was on her mind.

"Aah…then perhaps you are a little uncomfortable about our lieutenant? And his heritage?" Sasuke asked her. Seeing her start, he raised a hand. "Speak freely Williams. He won't hear anything from me."

Ashley glanced around. "I-I don't have that much of a problem with it. It's just…just…"

"He's not human," Sasuke said, as Ashley slowly nodded.

"I mean…I don't want to sound like a Cerberus supporter or anything, but…it does feel awkward, taking orders from someone who isn't human," she said, as Sasuke nodded.

"I understand. After all Cerberus has done lately, it's a surprise the Council races aren't breathing down the Alliance's neck more to bring them in," Sasuke said.

Cerberus was a paramilitary human survivalist group born from the chaos of the First Contact War. There were those who felt that the turian occupation of Shanxi was proof that humanity needed to go it alone, and work towards its own survival and advancement. While those who wished to work legally towards the betterment of humanity joined political groups like Terra Firma, others felt that this was not enough. And so they flocked to the banner of Cerberus, led by a mysterious figure known only as the Illusive Man. While little was known about Cerberus or the Illusive Man, what was known was that Cerberus was behind several assassinations and terrorist actions that targeted not only aliens who they considered a threat to humanity, but humans who proved to be a threat to their goals, ranging from military officials to political targets.

Ashley nodded as she turned, powering down most of the equipment to tune up her weapons and putting the Vindicator back together. "Anyways, thank you for the alert sir. I'll be sure to head over to Lieutenant Shepard's office immediately," she said, turning and saluting him.

He nodded, saluting her back. "Corporal," he said, before heading off.

Ashley just let out a sigh, finishing cleaning the table up and securing her weapons in their racks, before heading back to the barracks. A quick wash and change into clean fatigues and she was on her way to the officer's building.

Naruto glanced up as he heard approaching footsteps, and saw the form of the young lance corporal approaching. He stood as she came to his desk and saluted. "Sergeant Uchiha said you wanted to see me sir?" She asked.

He returned the salute. "Yes I did, please sit," he said, as he sat down. She quickly did the same, as Naruto studied her for a few moments. "I understand that you've been having trouble with some of your squad and platoon mates recently," he said.

Ashley simply nodded, trying not to let any emotions show. "Yes sir. However Sergeant Uchiha assured me that they shouldn't be a problem anymore, sir."

"Yes, that's what he told me. However, I want to be on top of this problem as well. You're all under my command, and if there are issues, I want to make sure they're solved. We can't go into a firefight if we can't trust each other," he said.

"Yes sir. I'll try to not be a problem for the platoon, sir," Ashley said.

Naruto blinked, looking at her. "I'd hardly call you the problem, Williams," he said. "The problem is your squad mates not seeming to understand that your grandfather's actions are no indication of who you are or what you do. You are not your grandfather, and neither was your father. You are your own person," he said.

"Yes sir," Ashley said stiffly, not enjoying the mentioning of her grandfather and father. It just rammed the fact home, again, that she was being unofficially censured by the Alliance, while the man in front of her, an alien, held command over her.

Naruto blinked as he saw the conflicting emotions on Ashley's face, and on some instinctual level, could feel negative emotions emanating from her. Frowning slightly, he sat back. "Williams, if you don't mind…I wish to ask you a question, and I want your honest answer."

Ashley looked at him, before nodding. "I'll answer to the best of my abilities, sir," she said.

"What do you think of me?" He asked her, making her start a bit as he watched her. "Are you perhaps…angry with me? Fearful of me?"

"I'm not sure I understand why you're asking me this, sir," she said, before Naruto waved his hand.

"Please speak freely here. I want your honest opinion, and I don't want it restricted by formality," he said. "Please tell me what you think of me."

Ashley hesitated, before finally taking a breath. "With respect…I'm annoyed and angry. My great grandmother, my grandfather, my father, and I, we've all taken the oath to fight and serve the Alliance. My family has always been loyal to the Alliance. We always give more than one hundred percent in everything we do, my father and I even more because of what happened with my grandfather." Her voice slowly started to grow angry as she kept speaking. "And yet my father never rose above the rank of Seamen Recruit, and I've been bounced around to a bunch of assignments in the middle of nowhere. And yet you…you're here, a 1st Lieutenant, honored with the Star of Terra, and you're a…a…"

"An alien?" Naruto supplied, catching her off guard.

Ashley took a deep breath, calming herself. "I meant no disrespect sir," she said quietly.

Naruto just nodded quietly. "I understand Ashley and I asked you to speak freely. You have a hard time seeing me, not even a human, being given position and awards that you have a very hard time achieving, not through a lack of hard work, but because of a stigma brought about because of what happened with your grandfather. Does that sum it up?" He asked her.

Ashley quietly nodded, looking down slightly. "I'm sorry sir. It's just…hard, dealing with the crap dumped on me because of what my grandfather did."

"I understand Williams. Don't worry about it. Now, is there anything else you wish to tell me?" Naruto asked her.

Ashley shook her head, surprised that she was feeling somewhat lighter, somewhat better. "No sir."

"Alright then. Again, if you have problems in the future, let me or Sergeant Uchiha know. You're dismissed," Naruto said.

Ashley stood, saluting. "Thank you sir," she said, as Naruto saluted her back. With that, she headed off, surprised at the words Naruto had said, and how talking with him actually made her feel somewhat better. As if admitting what she had to him just made things easier for her. Mentally shrugging, she headed back to the barracks, to get some rest in before her duty shift that night.

 _That evening_

A young woman dressed in a shirt and casual pants let out a groan as she activated the locking program on her apartment's door and slouched into the kitchen. Gently dropping a bag containing medical supplies on the counter, she opened the fridge and pulled out a light beer, slowly opening it and taking a swig of it. Turning, she slouched into the living room, activating the lights as she did so. It was only then she became aware of the figure sitting in said living room, wearing a hood that shadowed their face completely.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" She yelled, almost dropping her beer in surprise. The figure however simply raised one hand, before speaking, their voice distorted by a vocal scrambler.

" _Agent Karin, have you succeeded in collecting the samples?_ " The figure asked, as Karin let out a breath of air, running one hand through her half messy, half straight red hair. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses though, as she looked at the figure.

"Authorization code first," she said, as the figure nodded.

" _Authorization Gamma-Two-Strike-Seven-Beta-Six. Confirmed?_ " The figure asked.

Karin nodded. "Confirmed. I've collected the necessary DNA samples and copied medical files on Subject Vulzan. They're in my bag," she said, nodding towards the kitchen.

The hooded figure nodded. " _Excellent. Cerberus command wants to extract you immediately, as this will likely compromise your cover as a civilian doctor at Fort Reykjavik. There's a shuttle waiting for you at Docking Pad Three. I suggest you prepare for immediate egress,_ " he said, before pulling out a data disc. " _Take this with you. It's the information I recovered regarding the salarian STG's recent mission to Tuchanka. Ensure it reaches Cerberus command._ "

"Understood. What about you?" she asked, a hint of worry entering her voice as she took the data disc.

The figure waved one hand. " _I still have my two missions here to complete. My team has infiltrated the missile base on Franklin, and even now is extracting all information on the Javelin missiles there. I, in the meantime, will continue to study Subject Vulzan and find out if he is an asset or a threat._ "

Karin nodded quietly. "Alright. Let me know when you're free though. I wouldn't mind a date," she said with a wink.

The figure merely sighed, shaking his head. " _Still the same old Karin,_ " he stood, standing. " _Until next time,_ " he said, before leaving out her window.

Karin meanwhile set aside her beer, going to the bedroom of her apartment and quickly removing several important documents, as well as wiping the small terminal clean of any and all information. From one drawer she drew out an M-3 Predator pistol, which she hid inside her bag in the kitchen. Packing up her clothes and files in a much larger bag, she slung that over one shoulder, grabbing her medical bag, and turned, leaving the apartment. She quickly wiped all her information from the apartment door's program, before heading out, leaving behind nothing to suggest she had ever lived in that apartment.

 _Unregistered Shuttle, Three Weeks Later_

Jondum Bau, one of the Council's newest Spectre agents, quietly read over the files once again regarding his current mission. Almost five weeks ago, an operative of the human terrorist organization known as Cerberus had intercepted highly sensitive and classified information that the Salarian Union would prefer was never known to anyone, even the other Council races. The Special Tasks Group agents had been busily searching for the agent who uncovered the information, attempting to keep the entire matter quiet, but when it was discovered that the agent in question was now hiding on a human colony, the Dalatrasses who governed the Union knew that they had to reach out to the asari and turians for help.

The Council was told about how a Cerberus operative had stolen incredibly sensitive information to the salarians, and in conjunction with the Alliance's ambassador, had come to an agreement. A Council Spectre would be sent to the human colony, and would find the Cerberus operative or their trail if they had already left. The Union had managed to influence the Council enough to send one of their salarian Spectres in to handle the job, confident that said operative would not allow the Council to know the true extent of the intel.

Bau however was worried about how he was going to find this agent. The colony he was heading too, Watson, had received a number of new arrivals for its military garrison around the same time the agent was fleeing, and he could have easily hid amongst them. It would be tricky to find them, especially since he was to do so as covertly as possible.

He did hope to have at least a few allies on this search. The Alliance had assured him that the leadership of the garrison would be ready to work alongside him, all of whom they assured were trustworthy.

And he'd admit he felt excitement at meeting the young vulzan and hero of Elysium, Naruto Shepard. ' _This should be quite interesting,_ ' he mused, as the shuttle began its descent towards Watson.

Naruto quietly stood with the captains in charge of the three companies stationed on Watson, as well as Major Ronald Aaronson, the commanding officer. The major had been contacted by Alliance command, and informed of the situation, as the Alliance knew it, and then had been told to share the information with those he could trust. As such, he had turned to his three company commanders, as well as Naruto, knowing none of them could be the Cerberus agent in question.

Now, they waited for the arrival of the Spectre agent, who Naruto was going to be assigned to work with in uncovering the Cerberus agent. The reason being that the most likely suspects of being the Cerberus operative were all members of the 2nd platoon of Baker Company, and Naruto, as their direct commanding officer, would be the one who knew them the best.

Even now though, Major Aaronson was a bit agitated. "I want to know how in the hell a damn terrorist is hiding right here in our own garrison!?" He yelled, glaring at each of the other people present.

"Well, if they could access our personnel records, they could easily insert a false profile for their agent, and have them added to a group of soldiers," Captain Cutler said. "Our IT specialists do their best, but no system is perfect. And so far, we haven't caught anyone who's overly suspicious."

"I know who my money is on it being," one of the other captains said, their arms crossed. "I wouldn't put it past someone related to Harold Williams to want to stick it to both the Council and the Alliance, and joining Cerberus would be the best way to do it."

Naruto stiffened slightly, before speaking. "With all due respect, sir, Lance Corporal Williams has proven to be quite a dedicated and loyal soldier of the Alliance. I find it extremely difficult, if not downright impossible to see her as a Cerberus operative."

"Lieutenant Shepard, do you have any possible leads? The soldiers who are suspected are under your command; surely you've got some ideas?" Major Aaronson asked, as Naruto thought for a moment.

"To be honest, not at this exact moment sir. After being informed of the situation, I went over base security logs and duty rosters for my entire platoon. Pretty much all of the enlisted soldiers check out clean, with none of them being suspicious. The NCO's have been a bit harder to keep track of because they operate somewhat more independently then the rank and file do, but still, I've come up with nothing. However, I've already sent a request to Alliance Command to do a full background check on each and every soldier in my platoon. Hopefully they can have an answer back in the next day or two," he said.

"Keep on it. I want this operative found and caught. We can't allow a terrorist agent to use our own ranks to hide in," the major said, only to stop as his intercom beeped. He pressed the button on it, activating it. "What is it?"

" _Sir, Spectre Agent Bau has arrived_ ," spoke his assistant sitting at the desk outside the major's office.

"Please show him in," Major Aaronson said, as the others all moved to either side of the desk.

The door soon opened, and in stepped a grayish skinned salarian wearing what at first glance seemed to be the standard armor worn by most salarian soldiers and operatives, except it was black with gold trim. The standard salarian armor was quite light, having armor only over the forearms, upper chest, thighs, and shins. The rest was reinforced mesh designed for flexibility and to absorb lighter attacks. This armor however appeared to have stronger armor plating, as well as parts of the mesh suit being lined with circuitry and gadgets designed to facilitate counter hacking and sabotage attempts.

He quickly stopped in front of the major's desk. "Major Aaronson? Spectre Jondum Bau, on special assignment from the Council and Salarian Union. Thank you for agreeing to give me access to your base."

Major Aaronson simply nodded. "Welcome, Spectre Bau. This is my senior staff, in charge of the companies under my command. And this is 1st Lieutenant Naruto Shepard. You'll be working with him, since it his platoon we suspect the Cerberus agent has infiltrated," he said, indicating Naruto.

Bau turned to Naruto, holding out a hand. "Lieutenant Shepard, it's a pleasure and honor to meet you," he said.

"Likewise," Naruto said, as he shook Bau's hand. "I hope that I can be of help to you, in finding our traitor," he stated.

"Yes. If you don't mind, I'd like to get right on that. Have you discovered anything so far?" Bau asked.

Naruto quickly brought up the information they had discovered so far. "We've gone over all the security logs and footage on base to try and find anything suspicious. So far, the one major discrepancy we've discovered is that roughly two weeks after the arrival of my platoon, a civilian doctor contracted to provide medical aid on base here mysteriously vanished, without a trace at all. We do not suspect she was the operative you're looking for, as she had been living in the colony for some time before the platoon arrived. However, we cannot rule out that she might have been an ally of the Cerberus operative in question. Otherwise, we have found nothing so far, though we are going over all the profiles and backgrounds of the soldiers within my platoon. We should hopefully have the results for that in the next few days."

Bau nodded at that. "Good, good. For now, I'd like you to continue operating as normal. We don't want to spook our quarry into fleeing before we catch him. I'll do my best to remain absolutely discreet while on your base, major."

"What I want to know is what is this traitor doing out here?" One of the captains asked, frowning. "We're a fairly out of the way colony with nothing to offer."

"Actually…you have two things here I think a Cerberus operative would be interested in," Bau stated, looking at said captain. "The first being the lieutenant here. It is very likely that the operative would be quite interested in finding out if Lieutenant Shepard here is an asset, or a threat to Cerberus's future plans, since he is such an unknown, relatively speaking. However, the second would likely be the Javelin missiles you have stored here as well. They're a new experimental weapon your people are utilizing for planetary defense against larger scale ships, correct? I would think a Cerberus operative would be interested in possibly getting their hands on whatever information they could regarding said weapons, so that his or her organization could in turn use it, no?"

Major Aaronson nodded at that. "That makes sense…alright. I want to discreetly increase security around Outpost Delta. We'll keep an eye out any suspicious activity up there."

Everyone nodded at that, as Bau looked back at the data. "Very well. May I ask where I'll be staying while here?" He asked.

"Of course. Lieutenant Shepard will show you. If you require anything, please contact me or Lieutenant Shepard directly, and we'll see that you get what you need," the major said. "Lieutenant Shepard, you're dismissed."

Naruto nodded as he saluted. "Yes sir," he said, before turning and leading the Spectre away, leaving the major and captains to confer with each other.

Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the Spectre's arrival had not been as discreet as they wanted it to be. A shadowy figure quietly watched as Naruto escorted Bau to where his quarters were, a frown forming on their face, as they melted back into the shadows of the building they were leaning against. This would not bode well for their plans.

Elsewhere, Ashley Williams stood with the rest of 2nd Platoon from Baker Company, each soldier holding their weapons at attention, while Staff Sergeant Uchiha moved between the ranks, inspecting each weapon. Arriving at Ashley, he watched as she quickly held out her Lancer, pressing a button so it opened its casing for inspection. Sasuke took it from her hands, and began looking it over for any malfunctions, imperfections, or dirt or rust. Finding none, he nodded, returning it to her. "Good," he said simply, in the stern 'sergeant' mode that was essential for soldiers of NCO rank.

As he moved on, Ashley quickly closed up her weapon, resuming her at attention stance and waiting for the inspection to end. As she waited, it gave her some time to think about how things had changed, if only slightly, since her talks with both Sasuke and Naruto.

Since that time, her problems with her platoon mates had largely died down. While none of them had become friendly or eager to associate with her outside of duties and such, they had also stopped the comments and glares. At least while she was looking or within hearing range.

Not only that, but Sergeant Uchiha seemed to have taken an interest in her. He would often find her off duty, and they'd talk a bit, about various things. They'd talk about home, with her mentioning how she grew up all over thanks to her military family, and him talking about how he grew up on a colony world, his family being a rather well off merchant family. She had been saddened to learn that he had an older brother who had also joined the Alliance, but had been killed off by batarian pirates and slavers during a skirmish with them.

Which also led to them discussing something they had in common. Both of them tended to be mistrustful of the various alien races they had discovered in the alien galaxy. Ashley had enjoyed being able to share her beliefs and opinions with Sasuke, and finding someone who agreed with her, instead of spouting off the usual 'they're not that bad and we need to work with them' dogma.

Ashley's thoughts were quickly interrupted as Sasuke marched back to the front of the platoon. Bringing her attention to the present, she focused on him as he began to speak. "Platoon, holster arms!"

As one, the platoon moved their weapons to the magnetic plates on their armor that would hold said weapon, said weapons folding and contracting into their compact forms. As they finished and came back to attention, he issued his second command. "Platoon, parade rest!"

The soldiers quickly adopted the parade rest stance, feet shoulder width apart, hands clasped at the small of their backs. With them at rest, Sasuke began to speak again. "You all did well on the weapons inspection. Good work. But don't get lax about your weapons maintenance! If I pointed out anything, make sure you get it sorted quickly. Understood?"

"Sir yes sir!" The echoed as one, as he nodded.

"Good. Platoon, attention!" He ordered, as they quickly snapped to attention. "See to your weapons. Chow will be at 1800 hours. Third Squad, you have First Watch at 2100 hours. Dismissed!"

The platoon all saluted him, and after receiving his dismissal salute, broke formation. Some of them began to chat with others, as they all began to stream towards the armory to secure their weapons, Ashley hanging back a bit to allow the others pass her up. She found it was simply easier to hang behind them and be the last one in, rather than being in the middle of the pack and jostled 'unintentionally' or the front where everyone could see her.

As she neared the armory though, she glanced back only to blink as she saw Sasuke heading off towards a more remote corner of the assembly area. She wasn't sure what prompted her to do so, but some instinct told her to follow him, so she quietly turned around and did so, keeping her distance as she shadowed him. She couldn't quite place it, but something just seemed off with the way he was moving, the way he was holding himself.

He quickly moved around the corner of a building, and she sped up slightly to catch up, stopping at the corner and peeking around it. He was just disappearing around the next corner, and she quietly followed, stopping and peeking again, this time finding him stopped and glancing around. She quickly pulled back before he could see her, and listened intently for any movement from him. She heard what sounded like three beeps issue from his omni-tool, only to be answered by three more beeps, and then approaching footsteps. She ever so slowly peeked out again, frowning.

Sasuke had been joined by another soldier, a 2nd lieutenant from the ranking on his collar. And yet the man seemed to be deferring to Sasuke as if he was his superior. "Sir, I've discovered some troubling news," the man said quietly to Sasuke.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, his tone much colder than Ashley had heard before, as the other man glanced around, before speaking.

"There's a salarian on base sir. I saw him being escorted from the command building by Lieutenant Shepard. Judging by the armor and the way he's carrying himself, I'd say he's STG at the very least," he said, referring to the salarian's spec ops forces.

Sasuke frowned as well, going over the news. "Is he the only one? I'd hate to think we have a team of STG operatives right on top of us. Not when we're so close to the end of our mission."

"No idea sir. He's the only one I saw. I'll see about looking around for others, though they're probably well hidden," the lieutenant said.

"We'll need to keep a low profile. The shipment of new Javelin missiles is arriving here in two days, and we cannot blow this mission when we're so closing to completing it. Is everything ready?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes sir. The distraction is ready, and will draw a large portion of the garrison away from Fort Reykjavik, and give us plenty of time to seize the new Javelin missiles at Outpost Delta before they're secured. We've also received confirmation that the extraction ship will be ready to pick us and the missiles up," the other man said.

Sasuke nodded. "Good. It'll also give me some more time with a possible recruit I've found. Ashley Williams. I think she's amenable to our cause. She may not say it, but I can tell deep down she has a dislike, if not hatred, of the Council races and their pawns. Given what happened to her grandfather because of the turians, it's understandable," he said with a smirk.

"What about your other mission sir? Is the alien an asset or a danger to Cerberus?" The man asked.

From her hiding spot, Ashley's eyes widened, and her heart beat rapidly in her chest at the mention of Cerberus. Sasuke was a traitor, a Cerberus agent. And so was this other man as well. Her hand was already halfway to the folded Lancer on her back, her gut reaction being to step out and capture them both, bring them in for treason, but she stopped herself at the last second. She had no evidence beyond what she had heard, and her family's reputation would likely ensure no one believed her. Plus, her weapon wasn't loaded, and Sasuke would know that. She slowly forced her arm back down, as Sasuke responded to the other man. "Unfortunately, I cannot be certain. He certainly seems to be interested in protecting humanity, likely due to his adopted father's death on Mindoir. But whether or not he'd support Cerberus is another matter entirely. What I have been able to figure out is he is loyal to his sister, and so wherever she goes, he'd follow."

The other man didn't respond, and Sasuke glanced around. "Just make sure no one is found out or gives anything away before the transport arrives. Cerberus is going to need to study those weapons if we're going to have a chance of duplicating them. Have you got copies of the blueprints?"

"Yes sir, but the blueprints are purposefully missing certain key parts, to ensure that anyone who steals them is unable to fully replicate the weapons using them alone. We'll need at least one intact missile."

"And we shall have one. Return to your post, and keep an eye out for more salarian agents. We're almost done," Sasuke said, as the other man nodded, and quickly left. Sasuke waited a few moments, and then started off in a different direction, leaving Ashley standing there.

She slowly stepped away from the corner, a cold sweat breaking out as the full implication of what she had just heard hit her. Sasuke was a Cerberus agent, an operative of a terrorist organization who was planning to steal a shipment of heavy anti ship ordinance. He had pulled the wool over her eyes, making her think he was a sympathetic friend, when really he was a traitor to the Alliance. What was worse though was hearing him state how he saw her as a possible recruit for Cerberus.

She felt sick to her stomach at the thought. She had given him that impression? That she'd be willing to betray the Alliance, and join Cerberus? She staggered a bit, trying to gather herself. No, she was no traitor. That bastard might think she could be, but he clearly didn't know her like he thought he did.

Shaking her head, she banished those thoughts. It didn't matter. What mattered was bringing this bastard down. Her first instinct was to head directly to the nearest squad of MP's, or Military Police, and tell them exactly what she heard. Bringing up her suit's systems, she cursed as she realized the whole time her suit had still been in 'parade' setting.

Each suit of Alliance combat armor, from the standard marine armor to the advanced N7 armors, came equipped with different operation settings. When set to combat mode, every system of the armor was active, including a recording system used by Alliance command to get more accurate records of what happened on missions, rather than solely relying on the words of eyewitnesses. However, in 'parade' setting, the majority of the armor's systems would be powered down, including the recording system. Her armor had been in 'parade' setting for the weapon inspection, not requiring anything but the most basic functions to be active, and as such, she hadn't recorded anything of what she had just heard.

Upon realization of that, she dismissed the idea of reporting to the MP's. They'd likely dismiss her claims simply because of her grandfather, or they'd do a lukewarm investigation, to say that they took her warning seriously when they hadn't. The same would be true for the Inspector General on base. The only option she could think of that wouldn't end in failure was reporting to Naruto what she had heard. (3)

Her course of action set, she immediately brought up her omni-tool. "Locate Lieutenant Shepard," she ordered into the computer, and quickly the device accessed the base computer, using it to track down the location of the lieutenant.

Naruto meanwhile was currently with Bau, going over the records of each soldier in his platoon with a fine tooth comb. The salarian was frowning a bit, as he marked certain profiles. "Each of these soldiers has lost someone to battles with other species. That might be a possible connection," he said, bringing up those specific files.

Naruto glanced over them, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took in the five names, seeing both Sergeant Uchiha and Corporal William's amongst them. "Williams didn't lose a family member to combat with another race," he said.

"No, but from what I understand, her grandfather was the commander of the Shanxi garrison during the First Contact War. It would be motive for her to join Cerberus, if it meant striking back against both the turians and the Alliance for what happened to her grandfather," Bau stated logically. Seeing the look on Naruto's face, he blinked. "You don't agree?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't believe she's a Cerberus operative. Call it a gut instinct…or an animal instinct," he said half jokingly, before growing serious. "It is quite possible that the Cerberus operative isn't driven by the loss of a family member. They might simply have xenophobic views in general. We shouldn't discount other possibilities," he said.

"True, true," Bau said, as he set the currently selected files into one larger file, marked 'Suspect List 1'. He set about going over the other files with Naruto's help. "Do you know when we might receive the results of your Command's IT analysis?" He asked.

"It should be within the next day or two. They were going over every personnel file of those present on this base, just to be sure. But considering that practically everyone outside my platoon was already stationed here before this information was intercepted, it's highly unlikely any of them are the suspect," Naruto stated, before wearily sitting down. "Still, it'll take them a bit to finish their analysis."

Bau nodded, before setting aside the data. "Hopefully, it'll be before the Cerberus agent decides to move on. They've been here for quite some time, and staying in place for too long is dangerous for an agent in hiding," he said, remembering his training from the STG.

"Heh, we wouldn't have even known about him if not for your government," Naruto said, rubbing his face tiredly.

At that moment, there was a chime from the door of Bau's quarters. Naruto frowned, holding up a hand to Bau before moving to the door and activating the intercom. "Who is it?"

" _Lieutenant Shepard? It's me, Corporal Williams. I need to speak to you urgently sir_ ," spoke the voice of Ashley through the intercom.

"Can this wait Williams? I'm dealing with something very important and-," he started, only to be interrupted.

" _Sir, I've just discovered that there's a team of traitors in our midst,_ " she said, causing Naruto to stop and look back at Bau, who blinked back. Naruto activated the door lock, causing it to slide open and to reveal Ashley standing there.

"I think you better come in and explain, Williams," he said, stepping aside so she could enter. As she did, he quickly closed the door to prevent anyone else from seeing or hearing.

 _Outpost Delta, Franklin Moon_

Sasuke gingerly stepped over the unconscious body of yet another one of the soldiers stationed at Outpost Delta, a victim of a potent knockout gas unleashed through the ventilation system, rendering everyone unconscious for several hours except for the two of his operatives who had been stationed on the moon based missile outpost. So far, it seemed his team's plan was going accordingly. On the surface, the entire garrison had been drawn out by their distraction, a series of catastrophic failures in each of the colonial settlements on the planet, leading to loss of public utilities and power. With the Alliance Marines surface side keeping order and aiding in repairing the sabotaged systems, they wouldn't be able to respond to any reported irregularities or distress calls from Outpost Delta. Especially once the outpost's garrison was rendered unconscious.

Now, his team of eight had control of the missile base, and stood in the central armory, where several large missiles were stored. Sasuke smirked behind his mask before pointing to the two of his operatives who had been stationed at the outpost. "Begin the transference process from here to the main landing pad. We'll be standing guard there in case any Alliance troops catch wind and try to make a landing," he said.

The two operatives nodded, their faces, like his and the rest of the team, hidden behind fully sealed helmets to prevent the gas from affecting them as well. Each one of his team had discarded their various disguises, donning now the combat armor of Cerberus soldiers and officers, displaying, for the first time in weeks, their true allegiance.

Sasuke turned and moved off with his six remaining operatives, leaving behind the two who set to work starting the automated conveyance system that allowed the soldiers of the outpost to transfer missiles from the landing pad to the armory, the armory to the launch tubes, and vice versa. Now, they set the parameters to begin loading missiles and conveying them towards the main landing pad.

As the first missile was loaded and began to be carried towards the landing pad, one of the Cerberus Agents turned, nudging an unconscious alliance marine before squatting down. "Hey, I think this one is Rollins. He was an asshole, wasn't he?" He asked his comrade.

The other one rolled his eyes behind his visor. "Yeah, so what?" He asked, focusing on the task at hand.

"Well this would be the perfect time to get some revenge on him for all the shit he gave us while we were stuck here. Acting like such a big fucking shot," the first one said, smirking as he tried to decide what he could do to the unconscious marine.

"Just leave him be and keep your focus man. We need to get this done as quickly as possible." The second one said, monitoring the control console.

"Yeah yeah," the first one side, standing up and finding himself face to face with an armored salarian. Before he could even speak the salarian lashed out, striking his throat and disabling his vocal chords. He gasped, trying to yell, as the salarian quickly rushed forward, grabbing the man's helmet and slamming him towards the ground, adding a leg to help trip the Cerberus agent and thus smash him into the ground, where he was rendered unconscious.

The second Cerberus agent turned, hearing the commotion, and cursed, reaching for his gun, when there was a tap on his shoulder. "Hey there, mind if I cut in?" Spoke a male voice, as Naruto, in full armor, brought the fist back and smashed it right into the man's helmeted face.

The Cerberus armor, like the Alliance armor, had reinforced visors covering the eyes, giving the wearer visibility with as much protection as possible. Despite the visor being made of a reinforced material designed to stop small arms fire, Naruto's fist, thanks to his vulzan strength, smashed the visor, causing it to shatter. The operative was sent flying, smashing into a wall and slumping to the floor, unconscious from the blow Naruto had delivered.

Ashley, who had been hidden from view behind some crates and watching for any extra enemies popping up, now stepped into view as Naruto and Bau secured their opponents. "Remind me to never get into a sparring match with you sir," she said, staring at the unconscious man whose face was bleeding from shards of his broken visor.

"Don't worry corporal. I'm more of a grappler anyways. My sister is the straight up puncher of the family," he said with a grin, before activating his comm. "Baker Two to Alpha Actual, infiltration successful."

" _Roger that. Situation groundside is under control. Continue with mission and secure hostiles for interrogation. Missile safety is priority alpha,_ " came the response from Major Aaronson.

Naruto nodded, ending his comms and drawing out his Lancer, turning to Ashley and Bau. Ashley also was carrying her Vindicator, while Bau carried two salarian weapons. One was a pistol known as the Scorpion to the Alliance, a small weapon that fired powerful 'sticky rounds' that stuck to whatever they hit, before exploding due to potent explosive fillings inside each round. The second was a salarian shotgun called the Rehgar, a potent shotgun capable of quite a bit of damage despite its small, compact form.

"Alright, let's move out. Remember, we're outnumbered, so keep your head on a swivel and keep to cover. Let's move out," Naruto, said, taking point as they headed towards the landing pad.

When Ashley had revealed all she had learned about Sasuke not only being a Cerberus operative, but leading a team of them intent on stealing the Javelin missiles, Naruto and Bau had been quick to inform Major Aaronson of what they had found. The major's first instinct had been to arrest Sasuke, but stopped when he realized that doing so would be far too risky. They did not know the exact number of Cerberus agents, and it was likely that if they captured Sasuke, his team would be able to cause untold amounts of damage and destruction to the civilian settlements they were charged with protecting. So instead, the plan was to allow a small strike team to handle Sasuke, allowing their quarry to think his plan was succeeding and drawing out him and his team.

Now, the trio moved down the hallways, taking each corner and turn carefully until they reached the final hallway leading towards the main landing pad, which they could see through a pair of large viewports in the walls on either side of the door. Said landing pad was large enough for transport ships and shuttles to land in, and was fully enclosed save for a single wall, which was secured with both a force field and armored doors. The doors denied entrance or exit to the landing pad unless retracted, at which point the force field allowed those within to operate while allowing ships to enter and exit. Currently the armored doors were retracted and a transport ship, painted in the white, black and yellow colors of the Cerberus organization and bearing their emblem on the side of the hull, was parked in the landing pad, its cargo bay opened and waiting to receive the missiles.

The trio stopped at the doorway, with Naruto checking the map generated by his armor's motion sensors. "Looks like all seven of them are near the ship itself. There's not a lot of cover between the door and them, so we're going to need to move fast to the nearest cover once the door opens. Williams, you take the right flank. I'll take the left. Bau, you go up the center. Just keep moving till you get to some cover. Clear?"

The two others nodded, each gripping their weapons, as Naruto palmed the holographic door control. The system made a soft noise as it processed the command, and then the door opened with a whir.

Sasuke Uchiha, hearing the noise of the door opening, turned just in time to see the three armored figures rush out, guns firing at him and his troops. He immediately ducked down behind some boxes, as the rounds ripped into the ground and boxes around him, some of the rounds impacting the hull of the ship. His fellow agents took cover as well, drawing out their weapons. They immediately began returning fire at the three charging enemies.

Naruto grunted as a couple rounds hit his shields, dropping them to eighty percent as he dove behind a large cargo hauler, panting slightly. Checking his squad readout, a feature useful when operating with a small squad of no more than five soldiers, but useless when in a larger group, he saw that both Ashley and Bau had also suffered minor hits to their shields. But he could also see they were both in cover as well. Nodding in satisfaction he half rose from his cover, opening up on the nearest enemy.

Sasuke popped up, firing rounds form his own Lancer at Naruto's position, before ducking back down. "So, it seems I was found out. Tell me Naruto, what gave me away?"

"Maybe next time you'll have secret meetings where you can't be overhead, asshole!" Ashley shouted out, firing her Vindicator at a pair of the Cerberus agents crouched inside the transport ship, using the cargo doorway for cover. The three round bursts from the Vindicator were more accurate then the rapid fire of the Lancer, allowing Ashley to more accurately hit her targets.

"Oh, come now Williams, why all this aggression? Cerberus is standing up for humanity. We're fighting against the aliens who were responsible for your grandfather's disgrace, against people like those who turned your family into scapegoats! We're fighting to protect humanity's future! I'd think you'd be eager to join us!" Sasuke shouted, leaning out and firing at Bau, who had exposed himself to fire at a couple of his soldiers.

Bau ducked down, while Naruto used that opportunity to move up to closer cover, drawing closer to Sasuke. Ashley growled as she pulled out a grenade, priming it, before throwing it at a Cerberus soldier hiding behind a cargo crate filled with thermal clips. The grenade exploded, turning the cargo crate into an inferno. With his kinetic shields drained by the explosion, the exploding inferno engulfed him, with his armor being unable to withstand the heat. He screamed in pain as he was cooked inside his armor, struggling to put himself out.

"Safeguard that, bastard!" Ashley shouted, rising and firing again at Sasuke's position.

Naruto meanwhile grinned as he saw a perfect opportunity to cause his own chaos. Summoning up his biotics, he fired a powerful throw at a large heavy crate that two of the other Cerberus agents were hidden behind. The crate went flying back, smashing the two Cerberus agents into a wall. One fell to the ground unconscious, while the other staggered, his left arm hanging limply at his side. He stumbled and hit the ground, trying to crawl towards the transport ship.

Sasuke however chose that moment to pop up, and fire at Naruto, the rounds impacting his barrier, and one smashing into his Lancer. Naruto cursed, ducking down, and checking his weapon, only to find it sputtering and smoking. The round had hit dead center, destroying the main processor and rendering the entire weapon useless. Dropping it, Naruto pulled out his Predator which would be far more useful in these close quarters then his Viper would be. "I'm going to give you one chance Uchiha. Surrender now and hand over whatever data you took from the salarians, and you'll be given a fair trial."

Sasuke just scoffed. "Fair trial? With the appeasers to the Council being the ones judging me? The trial will be rigged so they can gain the Council's favor, alien. Terrorists like me are a shame they can never allow to have a fair trial."

Naruto shrugged as he readied himself. "I tried," he said, before gathering his biotics around him, forming a barrier, a biotic shield to add to his own armor's kinetic shields. Vaulting over his cover, he began firing his Predator rapidly at Sasuke, charging his position.

Sasuke cursed as he fired his Lancer, holding down the trigger as he tried to drain both Naruto's biotic barrier and his armor's shields, but the stream of rounds from the rifle soon halted as the weapon overheated, the thermal clip taxed beyond its capacity. He tossed aside the weapon just in time to block Naruto's fist, wincing as he felt the power behind Naruto's strike, and mentally thanked the genetic augmentation process that Cerberus made standard for all soldiers, a process that enhanced their strength, stamina, and reflexes. Of course, he had another ace of his own, which he quickly decided he was going to need as he blocked and dodged a flurry of blows and grab attempts from Naruto. Closing his eyes for the briefest moment, he sent a mental command to the small nanochip in his brain, and felt the tell tale tingling sensation in his eyes as the chip activated his ace in the hole.

Naruto quickly moved in, launching a fast right hook towards Sasuke's head, only for Sasuke to grab it, holding it in place. Naruto grunted, struggling to push his fist in, only to blink as he saw the Uchiha's eyes through his helmet's visor. Instead of the normal black-ish brown color, they now glow red, with three black marks in each eye. Sasuke reared back with his right arm, punching at Naruto, who barely ducked in time, only to receive an armored knee to the faceplate of his helm that sent him staggering back. Shaking his head, he readied himself as Sasuke launched another strike, which Naruto barely dodged. He attempted to grab Sasuke's outstretched arm, only for Sasuke to twist away with near inhuman reflexes.

"Like it? It's a little cybernetic enhancement that gives me quite the edge in battle," Sasuke taunted, readying himself for the next round of fighting. "With these, I'm more than a match for you," he said.

Naruto growled softly as he rolled his shoulders. "Fine…I guess we do this the hard way," he said, as he moved in to fight again.

Bau meanwhile was peeking out from behind his cover, seeing the first missile approaching the transport ship. The remaining three Cerberus agents were all firing, trying to retreat back to the ship while keeping him and Ashley pinned. Bau turned his head to look at Ashley, who was currently changing out the thermal clip on her Lancer. "Corporal Williams! We need to stop that missile before the Cerberus troopers can secure it!" He shouted.

"Yeah, no kidding!" Ashley said sarcastically, as she popped up, fired a quick burst, and was forced back down by the return fire. "If you've got any ideas, I'd be happy to hear them!"

"Provide me with cover fire while I move up to that next position! I should be able to destroy the conveyer with a well placed shot!" Bau said, pulling out his Scorpion pistol.

Ashley blinked at him. "Are you crazy?! If you hit the missile, you'll kill us all! The controls for it are right there!" She said, pointing to where the hanger's control for the missile conveyer system was located. "We can just stop it!"

Bau frowned as he glanced between it and the Cerberus troops. "We'd never make it to it. You have to charge through the open to reach it!"

"Yeah?! Watch me!" She snarled, not willing to trust Bau's plan. Gathering her feet under her, she lunged out of covering, firing the whole time at the Cerberus troops still firing at them. They were forced down as she kept running towards the control panel, to shut down the conveyer system.

Unfortunately, she hadn't accounted for the wounded Cerberus trooper, who was now crouched in the cargo hold of the transport ship. Even with his left arm broken from being smashed into the wall by the crate, his right arm was still good. And that he used to throw a grenade in Ashley's path.

Ashley's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the grenade landing in front of her. She barely managed to stop and throw herself to one side when the grenade went off, throwing her to the ground. She groaned, stunned, feeling burning pain in her back and unable to comprehend what was going on around her as she saw a figure moving over her. Her eyes were barely starting to come back into focus as she saw it was one of the Cerberus troopers, as he aimed his rifle at her head.

Suddenly, his shields flared as a spread of small rounds slammed into him, staggering him back, followed by a second barrage of rounds that ripped through his armor, dropping him. Ashley groggily turned her head to see Bau firing at the other Cerberus troops from cover. The pair of remaining troopers, having enough, rushed aboard the transport ship. Bau pulled out Scorpion, aiming it at the tracks of the conveyer system and firing, the sticky round hitting ahead of the missile and detonating, destroying the tracks and stopping the missile.

Hearing the engines of the transport start to power up, Bau aimed his Scorpion towards the ship, only to stop as he saw Ashley moving weakly, blood seeping from her back where her armor had been penetrated by shrapnel from the grenade. He wavered a bit, torn between firing t the transport to try and disable it, and helping a wounded comrade. Letting out a salarian curse, he dropped his pistol and moved to Ashley, grabbing her and dragging her to safety, where he began to diagnosis her condition.

Meanwhile, Sasuke growled as he ducked under one of Naruto's punches, attempting to launch a strike at the vulzan's armored stomach, only to have to block a blow from one of Naruto's knees. As he did, he started to feel pain in his eyes, and cursed to himself. The cybernetic eye enhancements he had received, code named Sharingan, gave him a huge advantage in hand to hand combat, as they allowed him to perceive and process enemy movements and attacks at a much faster rate than normal, as well as memorize opponent's fighting styles to study, analyze and deconstruct later. However, the downside was that he could only use them for brief periods of time before they started to cause damage to his eyes, due to the optical nerves not being able to handle the connection to the cybernetic optical implants.

With his advantage starting to slip away, and seeing the Javelin missile being stopped in its tracks, Sasuke decided he had to end the battle and fast. Dodging back, he purposefully left himself open for Naruto to go in for a grab, only to reverse it and throw Naruto away. As the vulzan marine recovered, Sasuke pulled out his own grenade and primed it, throwing it at Naruto as he turned and rushed to the transport ship.

Naruto cursed as he grabbed the grenade with his biotics, flinging it away from him and ducking as it exploded. Standing up, he was in time to see Sasuke board the transport ship as its engines fired up, the ship lifting off. Turning, Sasuke smirked as he mockingly saluted Naruto. "We'll see each other again, Naruto! This fight isn't over!"

Naruto growled, watching the ship pull away and shoot out through the force field, disappearing off into space. Turning, he found Bau still checking over a wounded Ashley. "Is she okay?" He asked as he came over.

"Her injuries are not severe, merely flesh wounds. Though the number of them will require some time to heal," Bau reported, standing up. "I administered medi-gel to the wounded area, but I suggest getting her to medical personnel as soon as possible.

Naruto nodded, before looking back at where the transport shuttle had been. "I'm sorry we let them get away," he said.

Bau just let out a dry chuckle. "That won't look too good on my record," he said. "But ultimately, he's not safe yet. I can still pursue him and attempt to retrieve the data," he said, looking down at Ashley. "Truth is, I'm not sure if I'm going to be a good Spectre agent. I'm not one who enjoys the idea of sacrificing lives for the sake of the mission."

Naruto clapped a hand on Bau's shoulder. "I think you might make a better Spectre then you realize," he said, before turning to activate his comm and call the garrison command for assistance.

Meanwhile, aboard the fleeing transport ship, Sasuke grunted in pain, his eyes bleeding slightly as one of the uninjured troopers tended to them. The pilot of the ship entered the cargo area, approaching him. "Sir, the Illusive Man wishes for a status update on the mission," he said, as Sasuke growled softly.

"Report to the Illusive Man that the mission was a failure. We were unable to secure the Javelin missiles…and subject vulzan apparently will not be an asset to Cerberus. It is likely he will become an enemy to our cause."

"Understood sir," the pilot said, moving back to the cockpit to send the message to the Illusive Man, while Sasuke growled to himself.

' _We will meet again, Naruto. And I swear that when we do, your race will end that day,_ ' he thought, as the shuttle approached the Mass Relay and prepared to make the jump to their next destination.

 _Infirmary, Fort Reykjavik_

Ashley groaned softly, laying in one of the medical beds in the infirmary, hating that she was forced to lie on her stomach. But lying on her back was too painful, at least at the moment.

She let out a quiet sigh, contemplating her situation. It had been two days since Sasuke had escaped, and while she was happy to hear he had failed to recover any of the missiles, she still hated that not only had he escaped, but she was at least partially responsible for his escape. If not for her actions, Bau probably could have disabled the ship, or they could have boarded it and seized it.

But instead, she ended up wounded and the bad guys escaped. Sighing, she buried her face into her pillow.

"Did I come at a bad time?" Asked a slightly teasing voice, causing her to look over her shoulder, wincing as her back twisted slightly. Naruto stood there, chuckling a bit at the awkward position she was in.

"Sir? What are you doing here?" She asked, wincing as she struggled to get into a sitting position, thanking the doctors for the painkillers that dulled the pain in her back. Naruto moved over to her and helped her as best he could, until she was sitting up and facing him.

"You can drop the sir for right now Ashley. Call me Naruto. And I just came by to check up on you. How you doing?" He asked.

She let out a sigh. "I'm tired, I'm bored, and I'm in pain sir…I mean Naruto," she said, frowning slightly. "And…to be honest sir…I'm confused as hell as well."

"Oh? About what?" Naruto asked, pulling up a chair and sitting down in it.

"About…why did Bau help me?" She asked. "I mean…I…I don't…ever since I've been old enough to understand things like politics and stuff, I've just…I've believed that we can't rely on the other races to be our allies. That we need to rely on ourselves, because ultimately, they'll always look out for themselves first. I mean, look at what happened after Mindoir. They claim that we're all part of a galactic community and we should help each other, but the minute we need help, they don't do anything at all. How can we rely on them to help us when we need it if they don't help us when we need it?" She asked. "I believed that they'll always look out for their own races first, because other races aren't their own people."

"But Bau sacrificing his mission to help me out when I was injured…why did he do that? Especially after I…well after I fucked things up. It's just…its confusing sir," she said.

Naruto leaned back slightly. "Well…I can understand why it's confusing. You apparently have some strongly held beliefs that now have been contradicted by actual experience, haven't you?" He asked her.

As Ashley nodded, Naruto thought for a moment. "I think the problem you have Ashley is you're trying to think of individuals acting under a generalization you've created for their entire race. But you can't really do that. A government will act, most of the time, in the fashion you've described. They're going to do what they believe to be best for the people that are under their charge. Doesn't mean the choices they make are the correct ones, mind you, but that's how they're going to operate. However…you cannot take that generalization down to the individual level. Every person, whether they're human, salarian, asari, turian, or vulzan, is going to be unique Ashley. Each individual will operate according to their own will and conscience. You can't judge an individual by their species; you have to judge them by who they are. Look at the very example in front of you. Bau, a salarian Spectre, helped you out when you needed it despite it causing him to fail in capturing Sasuke, while Sasuke and his fellow Cerberus operatives were willing to kill you, despite the fact that you're human."

Ashley shifted a bit uncomfortably. "I…I see you're point, it's just…difficult sir. I…this is hard to admit but…I just have felt…uncomfortable around aliens so much…because of what happened with my grandfather, and my father, and me. I wanted to blame them for what happened, so…I guess…I guess I just thought of ways to dislike or hate them, to make it easier to blame them for what happened," she said quietly.

Naruto leaned forward, gently touching her shoulder. "I understand Ashley. To be honest, I have my own version of your problems. The man who became my adoptive father, Malcolm Shepard? He was killed on Mindoir, by batarians. There's not a day that goes by that I don't want to curse every batarian, and paint them all in the same color. To be honest…I'm not sure how I'd react if I came across just a normal batarian civilian or something," Naruto said. "But I'd like to think that I might at least be able to be neutral to them…maybe. Wow I so dug myself into a hole here, didn't I?" He asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Ashley giggled a little bit. "It's okay sir, I understand where you're going with this," she said, before sighing. "I guess it's a little something I'll need to try and work on. It would be bad if I'm going around giving humanity a bad name or something with my actions. Especially since…well apparently I gave that Uchiha bastard the idea that I'd be a good candidate for Cerberus," she said, growling softly.

Naruto gave a soft chuckle. "Guess we all didn't really understand each other that well. He managed to pull the wool over my eyes," he said, before slowly getting up. "I know it'll be difficult, but give what I said some thought. And I know it's tough, but don't let others get to you regarding your grandfather. For what it's worth…I think your grandfather's actions should be applauded."

She stared at him, eyes wide. "W-what?" She asked, startled, as Naruto nodded quietly.

"Your grandfather did everything he could to try and resist the turians, but in the end, I think the choice he made was the right one. Your grandfather did what he could to save the lives of the soldiers and civilians under his command. To be honest, I think saving lives is worth far more than the Alliance's reputation, and that your grandfather is a true hero, for making a hard choice like that," Naruto said, before smiling. "Now you rest up and recover from your little scratch there, corporal. I expect you back on your feet and ready to serve in no time at all. Understood marine?" He all but ordered.

Ashley blinked at him, before giving a small grin and saluting, wincing slightly. "Sir yes sir," she said.

Naruto saluted her back, then with a smile and a nod, turned and let. Ashley dropped her salute, watching his retreating back, before slowly lowering herself, face down, and back into her bed. As she did so, she couldn't help but start to think over everything he just said, and as she did, she smiled a bit.

"Maybe this posting wasn't so bad after all," she murmured to herself, as she quietly lay there, thinking to herself.

* * *

 **And finally done. Wow, this chapter is almost 16,000 words long. No wonder it took me a while to do it.**

 **I'll admit, I'm worried about this chapter, and how it'll be received. Ashley Williams is not exactly a well liked character in the series, but I'm hoping that what I've done here will help to make her at least tolerable in the future. I guess we'll see.**

 **Sorry about the wait on this chapter, but its length and some distractions (job searching, manga's, Christmas) kept me from being able to really work on it. So I hope you all enjoy.**

 **Thanks go out again to my awesome beta's a7xfanatic1195 and Kyuubi123. Thanks again guys.**

 **Till next time, my readers! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, or whatever it is you say at this time of year.**

 **1\. Canon wise, Ashley's father never rose above the rank of Serviceman Third Class, the lowest rank in the Systems Alliance Navy. Since I'm doing the actual ranks belonging to our Navy and Marine corps, this would be the rank he'd be in within our Navy.**

 **2\. Yes, I know Sasuke doesn't have this kind of hair, but given the fact he's a Sergeant in the Marine corps, it's kind of given that at least currently his hair would be like this.**

 **3\. For those of you who are military, ex-military, or familiar with the military, I know you'd be going 'that's not how that works. They'd take any warning she said seriously'. I know that, but what I'm getting at here is that is Ashley's mindset. After dealing with crap because of her grandfather, she'd be under the assumption that anything she says is automatically suspect, and not likely to be taken seriously. Hence why she dismisses talking to the proper authorities about what she had heard.**


	6. True Heritage

**I'm glad to see the general positive reaction to certain things I did in the previous chapter. Most notably Naruto's interactions with Ashley, as well as the introduction of Sasuke as a Cerberus operative. I was worried how people would react, mostly regarding Ashley, because most people I've talked to really do not like her. Which is understandable, as Ashley in canon can be very…abrasive. And that's putting it mildly.**

 **I'm hoping though that I can create a relatively more enjoyable character, thanks to her having early interactions with Naruto, and thus those interactions be the basis of a more…likeable character. Guess we'll see, won't we?**

 **Now I may have mentioned this to some of you, but my original intent was for this chapter to involve the Battle of Torfan, one of the military career options players could choose from when creating their Shepard. However, I've decided against making the Battle of Torfan the main focus, as while discussing the idea with my Mass Effect beta a7xfanatic1195 (temporarily renamed a7xfanatic11), I decided it would be a bit too complicated to use Torfan to develop what I primarily want to have happen in this chapter. So while Torfan may be mentioned, it will not be the main focus of this chapter. Sorry folks.**

 **But, enough about that. Let's get going on this chapter, shall we? After all, this is the only chapter left standing between us and the start of the actual Mass Effect game story. So, ONWARDS!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mass Effect. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Bioware. This is a fan made fanfiction meant purely for entertainment purposes. Please support the official releases.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **True Heritage**

 _Naruto wasn't sure where he was exactly. All he knew was he was standing in what seemed like a forest, in the middle of a clearing. Around him, he could hear the sounds of various animals, wildlife that made this forest their home. He knew he had never been to wherever he was at, and yet though, he couldn't help but feel as if he knew it like the back of his hand._

 _He slowly moved to the edge of the clearing, trying to see if there was anything else beyond the trees. Yet as he neared the edge, there was a growling sound, and a massive fox stepped into the clearing in front of him, making him jump back slightly in surprise. The fox was joined by others, who emerged all along the tree line, stepping into the clearing as well, surrounding Naruto on all sides._

 _He looked around, tensing, readying himself for an attack. But none of them moved any further, simply standing there, some merely watching him, others growling softly._

 _Naruto slowly looked at each of them, noting that they did seem to greatly resemble normal foxes, except that each was many times larger than a normal fox. And their fur came in a variety of colors. Slowly, only approached him, its fur gold, and its eyes a bright blue, a lot like his own. It stopped in front of him, staring up at him, and Naruto blinked, feeling as if he was staring at himself. And then the fox opened its mouth._

" _Homomroh nxe no uho, Duhike. Homomroh nxuk ak moudj ke ro vulzan," the fox said._

Naruto awoke with a start, sitting up and panting in his bed, his sheets soaked in sweat from the dream. Leaning forward, he gripped his head in his hands, trying to understand what he had just seen.

When he was old enough to understand, he had been told that according to the data the Prothean scientists who had been studying him had gathered, his species had evolved with an ability to gain experience and memories of their ancestors, passed down through their DNA. They weren't sure how exactly this genetic memory worked, only that Naruto should be experiencing memories, or perhaps knowing or understanding things that he had never learned or experienced before. Supposedly the genetic memory would act like a type of unconscious guide, or something similar.

Naruto had remembered a few times growing up where he had sensed odd nudges or subconscious urgings, but they were rare, and he hadn't ever experienced anything like what was described to him. However, as he started to grow into adulthood, he had noticed that he was experiencing these nudges and subconscious urges somewhat more frequently. And then the dreams started. They were rare, and were extremely vivid. But it almost felt like they were growing in frequency. They used to be only one or two a month, but now, it felt like they were once a week.

Naruto slowly got up, and went to the bathroom of the hotel room he was staying in, and once there, splashed some cold water on his face. Looking into the mirror, he quietly studied himself, as if his reflection would give him some answers. But the confused and tired face looking back at him had no answers.

Sighing quietly, Naruto finished washing his face, and moved back to his bed, checking the time. Seeing it was only three in the morning, he lay back in the bed, hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. He was glad he was currently on leave, which meant he'd be able to sleep in, if he was able to get back to sleep at all.

It had been several months since the incident at Watson with the Cerberus cell that had infiltrated the garrison. While Alliance Command had been disappointed that several of the terrorist operatives had been able to escape, they had been happy to have a few captives, as well as the fact that the Javelin missiles had been secured. The Council had not been as happy, due to how the intercepted information had not been retrieved.

Afterwards, things had returned relatively to normal. There had been a debriefing, Jondum Bau had returned to the Citadel for further debriefing from the Council and probably the Salarian Union, and life continued for the garrison at Fort Reykjavik. It had been a little hectic at first, as Naruto's platoon adjusted to the shock of finding out that their Staff Sergeant had been a traitor, but they soon overcame that little hiccup, and a new Staff Sergeant arrived to take up the position. Naruto had also made sure to give Ashley a commendation in his report for her not only identifying the traitor, but her bravery during the firefight in Outpost Delta.

Eventually, Naruto was transferred back to Earth for the start of the second level of the Interplanetary Combatives Training program, where he found himself reunited with Alicia. Beyond vid calls, the two hadn't seen each other since they had finished the first level of N7 training. He smiled a bit, remembering catching up with her when they weren't busy on training, and chuckling as he remembered a couple of training ops where their squads had faced off against each other. Alicia might be brash and headstrong, but that seemed to hide the rather tactical mind she had, considering how her squad had outmaneuvered his and ambushed it flawlessly in their first face off. The second time though, Naruto returned the favor, catching Alicia's squad in a crossfire killing zone.

They had both graduated the second course of training, and had been given two weeks of downtime to celebrate, which they used to hang out, swap stories, and enjoy their free time. And of course, deal with admiring fans. It surprised Naruto how many people were approaching him now, to meet one of the heroes of Elysium. Equally surprising was the number of women who approached, apparently eager to get to know Naruto on a more personal level. He would have thought him being an alien would have been off-putting, but apparently some liked his more 'feral appearance' as they described it.

The vacation though was being cut short, at least for Alicia though. Earlier that day she had received a message indicating that she would need to return to her ship earlier than expected, and that she'd have to be on her way the day after tomorrow. Naruto still had at least five days of downtime though, and so he would use them up. He was sad to see her leaving earlier, but orders were orders.

Naruto let out a sigh as he leaned over, closing his eyes as he tried to get back to sleep. He didn't want to be too tired when hanging out with Alicia tomorrow. She apparently had a full last day planned. Though the grin she had on her face was a bit disturbing when she mentioned it. Mentally shrugging, he relaxed into the bed, slowly drifting off to sleep.

 _Arcturus Station_

Rear Admiral Steven Hackett, commander of the 29th Assault Flotilla of the Alliance Fifth Fleet quietly sat in the large briefing room, one of many high ranking officers currently gathered for a major briefing. Following the Skyllian Blitz, the Alliance Navy and Marine Corps had been busy cleaning up pockets of pirates and slavers throughout their space. But that had not stopped the constant attacks and raids from these space born criminals, most of which were likely funded by the batarians in a sort of proxy war against the Alliance. Until now.

The doors to the briefing room opened and every officer stood up, standing at attention and saluting as Fleet Admiral Hanson, overall commander of the Alliance military, entered with his staff and a few analysts. He saluted them all as he reached the front of the room. "Please be seated," he said, as all the officers returned to their seat. "Over the past two years, our intelligence officers have been working nonstop to try and pinpoint the source of the pirate and batarian attacks within our space. At 1300 hours yesterday afternoon, we caught a lucky break," he said, as the holographic projector in the room lit up, revealing a planet. "This is Torfan. It's a remote planet in the Shadow Sea star cluster, not too far from our border with the Attican Traverse. Our intelligence reports have discovered that it is a major stronghold utilized by pirates, slavers, and terrorists to resupply, rearm, and make their strikes into Alliance systems as well as Council Space. Which is why we are going to neutralize this threat once and for all. Analyst Howards will take over," he said, stepping to one side as a middle aged woman in dress uniform with lieutenant bars stepped forward.

"Thank you sir. The reports we've received on Torfan indicate a strong presence on the planet. The defenders have heavily fortified their position with underground bunkers and facilities, most of which are largely impervious to orbital bombardment. However, we believe that a full out assault from no less than three full battle fleets should be able to overwhelm their position and destroy their operations on the planet permanently. Without this base of operations, the criminal elements that have been operating within our space will be forced to retreat to the Terminus Systems, and thus their strike range into our territory will be greatly reduced. Furthermore, the batarian raiders that have been harassing and probing our defenses will likely retreat back to their space, having no friendly port to return to outside of batarian space. With one decisive strike, we'll be able to cripple these threats to our colonies and trade ships," she said, highlighting the defensive positions on Torfan's surface.

Admiral Hanson took back over from there. "I'm assigning the Third, Fifth, and Sixth fleets to the assault, as well as the Third, Twelfth, Eighteenth, and Twenty-Second Divisions of the Marine Corps. This should be more than enough to take the planet and destroy the enemy defensive positions. The assault is set for the end of this week, February 22nd," he said. "Additional data will be made available to the officers associated with the assigned attack forces. Are there any questions at this time?"

When no one spoke up, Admiral Hanson nodded. "Very good. That is all for now. Dismissed," he said. Every other officer stood and saluted, and as he returned the salute, they headed off.

Hackett frowned slightly in thought. The battle ahead was an important one, but it could be costly. The Alliance Navy had been expanding since the First Contact War, when they had over two hundred warships. Since joining the affiliate races of the Council, the Alliance had signed the Treaty of Farixen, which was put in place by the Council to help control the creation and expansion of the naval forces of various races that were a part of the Council, or affiliated with it. Primarily, the treaty limited the creation of dreadnaughts for all races, considering how incredibly destructive and dangerous the massive kilometer long warships could be. The treaty designated that the ratio of dreadnaughts amongst the Council and Council affiliate races would be set at five to three to one. In essence, the Turian Hierarchy, the military and peacekeeping arm of the Council, was allowed to have the most dreadnaughts of any race that signed the treaty. The other Council races, which at the moment were the asari and salarians, would be allowed to build three dreadnaughts for every five that the turians built. Council affiliate races, such as the Systems Alliance, would be allowed to build one dreadnaught for every three the asari and salarians had, or for every five the turians had. Other races, even if they weren't part of the Council or its affiliates, were still bound to the treaty provided they had signed it, which meant that both the quarians in their Migrant Fleet, and the batarians in their now rogue state, were also limited by the treaty.

The Alliance had of course followed the treaty, and currently had five dreadnaughts in their fleets, with a sixth nearing completion, and a seventh one being planned. Unfortunately, they would not be able to build any more than that at the moment, for the turians currently had thirty-seven dreadnaughts. The Alliance however had supplemented their naval forces with not only frigates, light and heavy cruisers, and numerous smaller warships useful for patrol and close quarters combat, but also by creating a class of warship that so far seemed to be completely un-utilized by the various Council races: the carrier. The Alliance created several hulls that matched the dreadnaught in size, but instead of arming them with powerful main cannons, outfitted them instead to carry squadrons of fighters and interceptors, as well as the facilities to repair and resupply these one man ships. This gave the Alliance a tactical advantage in combat, as most other races were limited in their small fighters to whatever their cruisers or dreadnaughts could carry, or any fighters deployed to nearby planetary outposts. The Alliance however could use their carriers to deploy several squadrons of fighters to attack and harass enemy capital ships, or deploy interceptors to engage enemy fighters.

In the twenty one years since the First Contact War, the Alliance Navy had expanded by over two hundred percent, adding over four hundred new warships, and going from previously two large fleets to now six battle fleets, each charged with their own star clusters to patrol and protect. Their military, while young and relatively inexperienced compared to the Council races, was quickly growing into a power to match them.

Hackett stopped as he reached an observation port and saw his ship, the _Jamestown_ -class heavy cruiser, SSV _Monterrey_. Stopping for a moment to admire it, he smiled a bit grimly. The fight ahead would be a tough one, and there would casualties, attacking a fortified enemy planet. But he had confidence that they would win, as he moved to the docking port to return to his ship.

 _Unknown Location_

A massive, humpbacked figure, decked in scarred armored, quietly snorted as he looked over the data in front of him, while sitting in a dimly lit room. "You're sure this info is good?" He asked, his deep, gravelly voice directed at the holo screen projector sitting on the table he sat at while skimming through information on the computer screen in front of him.

On the holoprojector, an asari clad in light armor smirked. " _Have I ever steered you wrong? I got it from a very reliable source that the Alliance is moving lots of weapons, armor, vehicles, and supplies. Part of some build up or some invasion plan or whatever. Most of the transport ships will be running in guarded convoys, but a few are only in small groups, or flying solo. Perfect targets_ ," she said with a chuckle.

The figure leaned forward. "And how reliable is this source?" He asked, shifting slightly.

The asari's smirk grew wider. " _Any closer and it might as well be from their command itself. You know those human types, they're practically obsessed with my kind_ ," she said, remembering how easy it was to get the info.

"Hmph. Good enough for me. Thanks for the tip Mirinia. You'll get your share when we've taken a few of their ships and gotten the hell out of there. First round is on me," the figure said.

" _I'm looking forward to it. And who knows. I might be willing to offer an extra reward if my share is big enough_ ," the now named Mirinia said, giving him a sky wink and blowing him a kiss before disconnecting from the conversation.

The figure let out a rumbling grumble, heaving his large bulk up from behind the desk he had been sitting at and all but slamming a massive armored fist into the comm unit mounted next to the door of his cabin. Immediately there was a response. " _What do you need boss?_ "

"Get the crew ready. We've got ourselves some new scores to raid," the figure said, smirking as he disconnected the comm. Turning to the wall of his cabin, he pulled down a war hammer. Charging it up, the head of it glowed as he chuckled. "Oh yes. We'll get you some blood soon," he said, caressing the weapon as the glow illuminated a scarred, reptilian face.

 _MSV Randolph's Folly_

The large Banff-class military armored transport silently slipped through space, leaving behind one of the orbital docking stations that hovered around Earth, as it headed towards the Mass Relay to make the first of a series of jumps towards its destination.

The Banff was a military transport ship similar to the large Athabasca-class transport and the smaller Kowloon-class transport used by merchants and private owners. Unlike the civilian ships though, the Banff was much more rugged, with the interior hull struts being reinforced for greater endurance, but the exterior being plated with ablative hull armor for additional protection. In addition, the ship was outfitted with a military grade kinetic barrier generator, as well as four dual GARDIAN laser turrets for use against enemy fighters and projectiles. While not making the ship capable of engaging in ship to ship combat, it did make the Banff capable of defending itself and the reinforced hull and other defenses did allow the ship to engage in combat or invasion landings, to deliver troops and vehicles to the battlefield.

Currently, the _Randolph's Folly_ was transporting a number of weapons, military supplies, and vehicles towards the Theseus system in the Attican Beta Star Cluster. It was here that Alliance was secretly gathering together the fleets of ships and divisions of soldiers that would launch an attack on the planet Torfan. The ships and soldiers were given different 'official' orders to throw off potential spies or information leaks. Some of the Alliance soldiers were guarding the new fledgling colony being set up on the planet Feros, by the ExoGeni Corporation. Others were arriving in the system to begin routine patrols for potential threats in the neighboring star clusters. And others were being assigned to scout out and destroy a potential pirate base located in the Nubian Expanse. All misinformation to keep anyone outside of the Alliance from knowing the growing armada's true intention and target.

On board the _Folly_ , Naruto frowned quietly as he studied the message in front of him again. His own vacation, with only two days left, had been cut short with a sudden urgent message from Alliance command, which had informed him he was being re-assigned from his posting on Watson for an important mission. He had been ordered to board the _Folly_ , and she'd transport him to the Theseus system, where he was being ordered to join up with the Third Division of the Alliance Marine Corps.

Whatever was going on, Naruto knew it had to be pretty serious, considering they had canceled his leave. Sure, he had only two days left, and that might not seem like much, but considering the rigors and strenuous nature of the N7 training program, it was usually good to give the trainee's a sufficient amount of leave afterwards to ensure they recovered. The fact that Alicia, and now himself, had been brought back to active duty so quickly meant something big was on the horizon.

Shutting down his omni-tool, he stood and stretched, grimacing a bit as he glanced around. Military transport ships tended to not exactly have the roomiest of accommodations, even for officers. They were designed more for moving cargo than people, and the _Folly_ was no exception. Other than a few vehicle engineers sent along with the vehicles onboard, the only other people present on the ship was the crew itself. While there were a few rooms set up for passengers, they tended to be small, to maximize cargo space. If the transport had to carry soldiers, the ship's cargo bays could be converted into mini barracks if need be.

Naruto moved out of his quarters, wanting to stretch and maybe get a drink. Heading to the galley, he found a couple of the crew off duty there, talking animatedly. They quieted down as they saw him, and Naruto simply nodded to them, heading over to the dispensers to get a drink. Seeing him supposedly not paying attention, they went back to talking.

"See, I told you he was on the ship," one of them said quietly and excitedly, as the other nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry for doubting you. Still can't believe one of the heroes of Elysium is here! On our ship. Raleigh would be so jealous if he were here right now," the second one said excitedly, glancing over at Naruto with an appraising eye. She grinned a bit as she spoke. "He's pretty cute," she said added.

"Jeez, keep your panties on for once, will you?" Her friend said, rolling his eyes at her pout.

Naruto let out a small chuckle, drawing both their attention. "Word to the wise, it might be a good idea to make sure people don't have good hearing when you're talking about them," he said, tapping one of his ears, and making them both blush in embarrassment, especially the woman.

"S-Sorry sir," they both said, as Naruto waved a hand.

"No problem at all. Just be more careful in the future," he said, turning back to them with his drink of water, which was sadly the only thing he could get. The galley was stocked with food for the crew, and thus didn't have any dextro based food on board, though Naruto had made sure to gather some dextro rations for himself beforehand. He came over to their table, smiling. "Mind if I join you?"

They both shook their heads, and Naruto groaned softly, sitting down. He gave them a disarming smile. "We haven't been properly introduced. Naruto Shepard," he said, holding out a hand.

The man shook his hand first. "Robert Saunders. And this here is my friend Sarah," he said, as the girl rolled her eyes.

"Thanks asshole," she muttered, before shaking Naruto's hand as well. "Sarah Mitchells. It's an honor to meet you sir."

"No sir, no sir. I'm off duty at the moment. As are you two," Naruto said. "So any idea what's going on? I was on leave when I got the sudden orders to deploy. Pretty unusual."

"No idea sir…I mean Naruto," Robert said. "All we know is they suddenly loaded enough supplies and vehicles to supply a small war, and that's it. Captain said something about getting orders to supply a military outpost out in the Attican Beta Cluster, but otherwise, no idea."

"Bit unusual we're not running with an escort though," Sarah added. "Normally if we're moving that close to the Traverse they'd have at least a destroyer or some other corvette running escort, or we'd be moving in a convoy, but here…they just sent us out on our own," she said.

Naruto just took that in while drinking some of his water, thinking quietly. "Hmmm. Unusual," he murmured quietly.

Sarah however decided to change the subject. "Hey umm…si-I mean Naruto…can I ask you a question?"

As Naruto simply nodded, she took a few moments to speak. "What was it like…at Elysium I mean? The fighting and stuff."

Naruto grew quiet for a few moments, staring at the table. "It's…hard for me to really give you a good picture. I was in a skyscraper for most of the battle, sniping at targets. My sister was the one in the frontline, directing the fight and being in the thick of the action. She'd be the better one to ask, if she were here," he said, sipping his water quietly.

"Yeah but…you and her then went off and fought all those pirates and slavers by yourselves! Just the two of you, against thousands!" She said, wide eyed, leaning forward a bit.

The vulzan chuckled softly. "I'd hardly say thousands. Maybe hundreds," he said.

Sarah shook her head. "Yeah but still, that's…it was just the two of you! Against all those hundreds! That was incredible!" She said, before looking down a bit. "I don't know if I could do something like that."

"Me neither," Robert said as well.

Naruto chuckled a bit at that, causing them to look at him. "Don't sell yourselves short. Let me tell you something. What me and my sis did…we didn't do it because we knew we'd win or anything. We did it…because we knew it had to be done. We were both scared, and we knew we could have died. But we still did it anyways, because it's what we had to do, to protect the colony."

The two crewmembers blinked at that. "You were scared? You?" Sarah asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Being brave isn't about not being scared. It's about being scared, but overcoming it. Courage is doing something even when you're scared or feel like you'll fail, because you know it needs to be done, or because you know you can't let your fear control you," he said. "So don't think you can't do something, until you're faced with that choice. Because you won't know until you're faced with that moment."

"Wow. I guess that makes sense," Robert said, as Sarah nodded.

Naruto let out a depreciating chuckle. "Just don't go rushing headlong into an army of batarians and turians by yourselves though. My sister and I were lucky they attacked where they did. It severely limited their numbers, and made it easier for us. It may have been what needed to be done, but if they hadn't retreated when they did, we'd be dead," Naruto said, before finishing his water.

At that moment, the ship's intercom activated, and the captain's voice was heard. " _All hands, we're preparing to make the relay jump from Sol to the Utopia system in the Exodus Cluster. Standby for relay jump_."

Naruto chuckled softly. "Guess that means I should get back to my cabin. Don't want to be in anyone's way while they're busy running the ship," he said, standing up. "Thanks for the conversation."

"You're welcome. And thank you for the words of wisdom," Robert said, as Sarah nodded and smiled at him.

Naruto just gave them a nod, as he started to head off, to return to his quarters, only to stop for a moment. "Oh, and Sarah…you're pretty cute yourself," he said, giving her a wink, causing her to blush. He heard Robert made a comment, followed by a yelp, probably from Sarah punching him, as he left the galley. There was a bit of a long journey ahead of them, as while the actual jumps between Mass Relays happened instantaneously, it took time, sometimes hours for the Relays to realign properly for the next Mass Relay jump, due to some of them being at 'crossroads' in space, allowing for jumps to several star clusters rather than one. So the Relays would have to be realigned for jumps to a different destination.

Humming a random tune that had been stuck in his head for the past few days, Naruto that at least he could spend time touring the ship and talking to the crew, to while away the long boring hours between jumps.

 _Columbia System, Voyage Cluster_

A turian frigate quietly floated in space, hovering near the Mass Relay located in the Columbia system. However, given the emblem of a large alien skull over crossed war hammers and the numerous scratches, dents, and extra weapons, it was clear this was not a standard turian frigate, but instead one of the numerous ships purchased, stolen, or salvaged by pirates and slavers, and turned into their own personal raiding vessels, this one belonging to the pirate crew known as Kroth's Raiders.

On the command deck, the bridge officers went about their duties, which mostly consisted of simply making sure the ship was running and ready to go. Unlike military crews which had to follow regulations and fill out reports, pirate crews simply had to make sure the ship was in working order, and that was it.

A human in somewhat dented and patched up armor currently seemed to be in command, standing on a raised platform that had him elevated above the rest of the crew. He was studying information being relayed to them from another source, when he heard the door to the bridge open with a 'swooshing' noise, followed by heavy footfalls. He quickly turned, to find the captain of the crew stomping over.

Kroth Lotark was a krogan, a race of massive reptilian aliens from the planet Tuchanka, located in the Aralakh system of the star cluster now known simply as the Krogan Demilitarized Zone. Like most of his race, Kroth stood roughly at seven feet in height, and was broad, with a large shoulder/back hump, used to store water and nutrients. They had broad faces, with no nose, but wide reptile like mouths and wide set reptilian eyes. Each hand ended in three digits, similar to turians and salarians, and they also had the reverse bent leg those species had as well. Where krogan's were different was that due to the incredibly harsh environment of their planet, krogan's were evolved to be one of the most resilient species in the galaxy. They were virtually immune to most forms of poisons, toxins, natural hazards, and radiation and their bodies held numerous redundant systems, coupled with extremely thick hides that made them incredibly resistant to most forms of damage. Add to this as well a high regeneration rate, and life spans that could go on for centuries and you had a species that was built to survive.

All of this had been necessary for them to survive on their home world, a world that had many predators and natural dangers, enough to make any other race think the planet was uninhabitable. The krogan however had not only survived, they had eventually grown to dominate their world. Unfortunately, with their natural predators overcome, the krogan searched for new challenges and enemies, and found it in their neighboring clans. Technology had made life too easy for the krogan, and coupled with their incredibly high birthrates of nearly a thousand eggs per female over the course of a year, and the krogan clans began to fight each other for resources, territory, and power. Things came to a head some four thousand years ago, when the wars between clans escalated into a full on global war, resulting in the use of weapons of mass destruction. The once verdant jungles of Tuchanka, and the great krogan cities were reduced to a nuclear wasteland, and those krogan who survived gathered again into their tribes and clans, and continued their war with each other. The krogan might have annihilated themselves, if not for the intervention of the salarians some two thousand years later.

The salarians and asari, then the only two Council races, were locked in a prolonged and deadly war with a race of insect like aliens known as the rachni. The salarians, seeing the brute strength, incredible resistance, and staggering birth rates of the krogan as an advantage, intervened on Tuchanka, 'uplifting' the krogan to fight the rachni for the Council. In return, the salarians gave them more advanced technology, ships, weapons, and even helped relocate them to a new world to flourish, while they set up facilities to repair Tuchanka's atmosphere and environment, and end the nuclear winter that threatened the planet.

The krogan eagerly stepped into their new role, quickly breeding new generations of warriors, while the current generation immediately went to work invading the rachni worlds, surviving the toxic environments and crushing the rachni and their queens, the heart of each colony and a necessary entity for each colony's survival. In the end, the rachni were completely exterminated, the krogan were honored as heroes, and were given several colony worlds and a statue on the Citadel Presidium for their heroism. Unfortunately, the krogan's overly aggressive nature, coupled with their high rate of birth, soon led to them aggressively begin colonizing more worlds, including those already inhabited by Council races and their affiliates. This led to the Krogan Rebellions, when the Krogan refused to leave the worlds they had colonized and invaded, and declared war against the asari and salarians. The latter two races, unprepared and not equipped to handle the overwhelming brutality and warrior savagery of the krogan, turned to the newly discovered turians, a race that had proved to be equally militant. For ten years, the Council races and the krogan's fought, until the turians, realizing that the krogan's birth rate and battle lust would ensure their victory over the Council, turned to a salarian created bio-weapon known as the genophage. Designed to alter the birthrate of the krogan, reducing their birthrate from one thousand to one in one thousand, the genophage was unleashed by the Turian Hierarchy against the krogan. With their greatest asset gone, and their numbers dwindling due to conflict, the majority of krogan's surrendered, though some pockets continued to resist for decades.

Afterwards, the krogan were returned to Tuchanka, their weapons and armor taken from them. The Turian Hierarchy, now a full member of the Council, continued to patrol the Krogan DMZ for any sign of krogan uprising. Eventually, they were allowed off world, and those who did leave scattered across the galaxy, seeking 'honor and glory' as mercenaries, pirates, and criminals.

Kroth himself was one of the last of a clan that had been wiped out by another in one of the various clan skirmishes on Tuchanka, for what little resources were left on the planet. He had been a powerful warrior, one of the relatively rare biotic users amongst krogan. But even this was not enough to save his clan, and with no home left, he turned instead to pirating, eventually becoming captain of his own pirate crew.

Now he stomped over to the human, who quickly scrambled from the command position. Kroth's armor was dented and scratched in a dozen places, each a 'battle trophy', and an indicator he was no stranger to combat. The same could be said of his face, which despite his skin's durability and his regenerative abilities, held several scars, as did the plate of armored bone growing off the top of his head. Gently petting the head of the war hammer he carried at his side. He turned to the human, clearly his second in command. "Report," he snarled.

"Captain, our sentry ship in the Antaeus system reported that a single transport ship has arrived, and is currently waiting for the Mass Relay to align. They haven't seen any sign of an escort yet," the human said with a grin, referring to the small light freighter some of Korth's crew was using both as a scout ship and as a decoy/lure. The freighter was currently in the Antaeus system of the Hades Gamma cluster, watching for targets of opportunity for Kroth and his crew. And now they had found one.

Kroth's face split into a dangerous smile. "Then get all hands to battle stations, and prepare to board! We've got loot to take and skulls to split!" He shouted, as his bridge gave a cheer, and the ship's alarms went off, calling the crew to battle stations. "And contact the decoy ship. Tell them to lure that freighter in. We want them a fair distance away from the relay before we arrive," he added to his second in command, who nodded.

Meanwhile, the _Folly_ had arrived in the Antaeus system of the Hades Gamma cluster, and was currently waiting for the Mass Relay to begin realignment. This particular relay lay at a 'crossroads' connection to several other relays in other star and nebula clusters, which meant that unlike other relays, it could take longer to make a jump out of the system as the relay had farther to traverse to realign itself with any of the other relays it was connected to. Depending on the destination, this was something that could take anywhere between a few minutes, to an hour or two.

On the bridge of the _Folly_ , Captain Henry Carson was in the captain's chair, quietly sipping a cup of coffee, when his comm officer looked up. "Sir, I'm receiving a distress call," he reported.

"Pipe it through," Carson said, frowning as the bridge speaks activated.

" _Mayday Mayday Mayday! This is the ARMV Dawnwind, reporting complete power core failure. Require immediate assistance to any ship within communication range! We require immediate assistance! Coordinates are one-nine-five degrees by three-four-two degrees! Repeat, this is ARMV Dawnwind requesting immediate assistance!_ " A panicked female voice spoke over the comm, repeating the distress call, as the Captain turned to his second in command.

"Check the registry," he ordered, turning to his sensor officer next. "Begin sensor sweep of those coordinates. Find me that ship," he ordered.

Immediately, the two officers went to work, with the sensor officer responding first. "Got it sir. There's a ship out there alright, and she seems to be adrift. Decreased heat signature, so I'd say her main power is offline sir," he responded.

His XO responded next. "Sir, the _Dawnwind_ is a _Tulerian-_ class merchant vessel from the Asari Republics. According to last reports, she was supposed to be out this way on some type of geological survey mission," he said.

"Sensors, does the ship match the profile of an asari transport?" Carson asked, as the sensor officer compared the thermal image on his passive sensors to one of the _Dawnwind_ , before looking up.

"Confirmed sir. She seems to match the profile image," he responded.

Carson nodded. "Alright. Helm, bring us about to one-nine-five degrees by three-four-two degrees. Engines ahead full. Have the medical staff on standby and prepare an engineering team," he said, giving orders first to his helm officer and then his XO, who nodded and moved to give those orders.

The crew and passengers onboard all blinked as they felt the ship shift from its maneuver, and the deck start to tremble as the engine's flared, before the inter-ship comms crackled to life. " _All hands, this is the captain. We've received a distress call from a merchant vessel in distress, and are moving to assist. Be prepared to take on injured_."

The crew immediately sprang to life, as engineers readied tool kits and other necessary implements, while the medical staff readied the sickbay for injured and other casualties.

The _Folly_ , its sublight engines glowing as they pushed the ship, shot towards the drifting asari trader. Carson was about to order the necessary maneuvers to match the drifting ship's speed and course, when his sensor officer suddenly yelled out. "Conn, unknown ship entering the system at the relay! Looks like a frigate, possibly turian! No IFF!" He called out, voice rising a bit in fear.

Carson cursed, turning. "I need a visual and confirmed identification! Set the ship to combat alert! Barriers up now!" He shouted to the bridge crew. "Charge the GARDIAN batteries, and send out a distress call!"

"Sir, communications have been jammed!" His comm officer shouted, as the sensor officer quickly looked up.

"The transport is powering up sir! I'm detecting engine, shield, and weapon signatures!" He shouted.

Carson cursed quietly. "Damn pirates," he muttered. "Helm, set course for the Mass Relay, maximum burn. Burn the engines out if you have to; just make sure we get to that relay! Damien, get the security teams setting up barricades at the likely entry points, and pass out the weapons to any crew not currently working on getting us the hell out of here," he ordered his second in command, who nodded, activating his omni-tool and contacting the security officer.

The ship became a flurry of activity, as the security officers quickly rushed to the small armory onboard, suiting up and grabbing weapons from the racks. Others grabbed the various portable barricades kept in storage, forming up into their security teams, and heading for the cargo bay and the airlocks, the most likely points of penetration by enemy boarders. The engineering crew worked frantically in the engine room and main core, pushing as much energy into the shields and engines as they could.

Naruto had been heading to the medical bay to offer what aid he could when he heard about the transport ship they were moving to rescue, but now, he turned and immediately headed to the armory, to offer his services there. Finding the ship's security chief, who was doling out extra weapons to the ship's crew and passengers, he quickly moved to get weapons of his own. The armory would be stocked with extra weapons for such an emergency, but unfortunately the same could not be said for armor, with only enough for the ship's security details.

Naruto quickly took up a Lancer assault rifle and Predator sidearm, checking the small thermal indicators on the side of each weapon. Without his armor, he'd have to keep track of their thermal status manually. Receiving several thermal clips, he nodded, stepping away so the next person in line could receive their weapons. The security chief pointed to him. "Lieutenant, I want you down in the main cargo bay! That's likely where the frigate will dock and try to cut into the ship, so we want our best fighting there!"

Naruto gave a nod of understanding, and securing the pistol at his side, rushed down to the main cargo bay with Lancer in hand. He stumbled though, as the ship shuddered from something hitting it.

The barriers of the _Folly_ flared as several missiles launched from the frigate hit it, straining the shields even as the GARDIAN batteries tried to shoot the projectiles down. The Alliance transport had turned, and was running for the Mass Relay, unfortunately passing right by the frigate as it did so. Now the frigate's own laser batteries opened up, passing through the barriers and cutting into the hull. The ablative armor plating held, as the two ships passed each other. However, the now revealed decoy ship moved ahead, its engines flaring as it moved ahead of the _Folly_ and slipped in front of them, forcing the Alliance transport to change course to avoid a collision. The pirate frigate, now behind them, opened up on the _Folly_ 's stern, trying to knock out their engines.

Captain Carson gripped the armrest of his chair, watching the various feeds regarding the battle and his ship's status. "Engineering, divert power from non critical systems to the rear barriers! We need to keep our engines intact!" he ordered, seeing a slight fluctuation in the rear barrier power grid as they absorbed three more missile hits. He cursed though as the ship lurched, the helmsman again maneuvering to avoid the pirate transport. "I need an analysis on that transport! How well armored is it?!"

The sensor officer quickly reported back. "They've reinforced the shielding and armor, as well as installed at least eight GARDIAN batteries, and a light main cannon, as well as two missile launcher bays."

"Sir, they can't have reinforced her structural integrity too much though. _Tulerian_ transports simply don't have the power core for it. She probably wouldn't be able to withstand colliding with us," his XO said, reading the general specs they had in the database on the transport ship. "We could probably survive ramming her, if we reinforce our forward shields."

Carson let out a frustrated growl, trying to decide if it was worth the risk. If they did ram the ship, it could seriously damage his ship, making it impossible to escape from the frigate still on their stern. However, each time they were forced to maneuver away from the transport, it cost them time trying to maneuver back to the relay. Seeing the transport moving to block them again, he made the decision. "Divert available power to forward barriers! Increase speed to flank!" he shouted, while activating the comm. "All hands, prepare for collision! Brace for impact!"

Naruto, in the cargo bay, could only blink as he heard the captain's orders. Cursing, he quickly found a secure spot, and wedged himself in, throwing up a barrier around himself for good measure, as he felt the ship surge underneath him, its engines straining to push the ship to its maximum speed.

Onboard the frigate, Kroth watched in a mixture of admiration and anger as the Alliance transport charged his decoy ship, not swerving like it had been. The transport ship, realizing too late what was going to happen, tried to move out of the way. However, it was far too close, as the bow of the Alliance transport ship smashed into the decoy transport roughly amidships. The reinforced armor on the stolen asari transport held for a few brief moments, before completely buckling, followed by the hull rupturing. Soon enough, the ship was sheared in half, the two sections of the ship spilling out equipment, debris, and bodies as they were exposed into space, while plasma fires erupted all along the torn edges of hull.

The _Folly_ however did not emerge unscathed from the ram. Even as it passed through the debris of the destroyed decoy transport, sections of the ship started to grow dark, and the port engines sputtered, flicking on and off. The bow was also crumpled somewhat, skewing to port slightly. The GARDIAN batteries also went dark, no longer firing at Kroth's ship. Snarling in anger, he pointed to the transport. "Bring us in close, and latch onto the cargo bay! Deploy the boarding shuttles and send them to the airlocks. We're taking her!" He shouted, as his crew leapt to action.

On the bridge of the _Folly_ , Captain Carson coughed as he picked himself up off the deck, blood streaming from a small gash on his head. "Report!" He finally got out.

"Main power is offline," His XO said, looking over a damage report. "Auxiliary power is online, but crew quarters and galley have both lost all power. Port engine's power relay has been damaged, and we're down to about three quarters speed. And GARDIAN batteries are completely offline. Sensors are gone too," he grimly reported.

Carson slammed a fist into the armrest of his chair. "Then we've got no choice," he said, activating the comms. "All hands, this is the captain. Standby to repel boarders. I repeat, standby to repel boarders," he said, before turning to the bridge crew. "Get to work repairing whatever systems we can, and let's hope our security teams can buy us some time," he said.

Just as the bridge crew was about to respond, they felt the shudder as something large gently impacted the ship, and they could see the pirate frigate now in front of the ship, latched onto the cargo bay with a specially modified docking tube. Carson cursed quietly, hoping the security teams could handle the boarders.

In the cargo bay, Naruto had pulled himself from the spot he had secured himself, and quickly moved back to the barricade. The majority of the others were there as well, though he could hear the cries of pain of one or two people nearby, who had been injured during the collision. Shaking his head to clear the last of the cobwebs from it, Naruto set himself back up behind the barricade, his Lancer out and ready, as he tried to steady himself. He glanced up and down the line, and blinked, surprised to see Sarah there as well. She glanced over, and gave him a nervous nod, as Naruto nodded back.

Everyone turned forward as they saw a bright flare cut through the main cargo bay door, and slowly start to cut through the door. The pirates weren't even bothering trying to hack the door codes, and instead was simply planning to cut through the door. Naruto smirked a bit at that, as now the pirates would be channeled through a kill zone.

As the torch continued to cut through the cargo bay door, the various defenders made one final checks to their weapons, and in the case of the security members, their armor. Sights were set, thermal clips were checked, and each person readied themselves for the fight in their own way, some praying, others mumbling softly, others just crouching silently.

Soon enough, the torch died off, and then the cut out section was violently blown back, sailing into the cargo bay with a loud explosion, and a crash as it hit the ground. This was quickly followed by flash bang grenades, to disorient the defenders. A goodly portion managed to duck down in time, but the rest, not reacting fast enough, were stunned.

As the first pirate, a batarian, jumped through the hole, he was met with a hail of gunfire, his barrier failing and his armor quickly being defeated, as rounds riddled his body. A human pirate followed quickly, firing as he ran for cover, only to be killed as he neared his goal. The defenders continued to open up on the opening, pouring fire into it as the pirates struggled to get through, a few managing to duck down behind cover, while the majority were left dead or wounded at their forced entranceway into the ship.

And that's when Kroth entered the cargo bay, a helmet now covering his head as the blue aura of a biotically created barrier surrounded him. He roared out his challenge, firing a massive shotgun towards the barricade, the buckshot from it ripping into the metal framework of the mobile defense emplacement and nearly penetrating. He soon found cover as well, still roaring and firing his shotgun as more of his crew poured through, using his entrance as a distraction.

Naruto barely ducked in time to avoid several rounds from a turian firing a light machine gun, before popping up and firing a burst at said turian, dropping his shields and leaving him vulnerable to rounds from a second defender's shotgun to rip through the patchwork of armor pieces he wore. Turning his attention, he opened up on asari, hearing her cry out as his rounds ripped into her shoulder, watching her fall as a spray of purple blood shot up from the wound. Grimacing slightly, he changed targets again, shooting at a salarian pirate who dove behind cover, popping up to fire his sidearm back at Naruto. The vulzan ducked down, before reaching out with his biotics, snaring a cargo crate and yanking it back, sending it flying towards the salarian. The pirate had only time to let out a cry of surprise before the crate smashed into him, crushing him against the cargo bay door and killing him.

Kroth snarled angrily, summoning up his own biotics again, and launching a massive warp attack that slammed into the barricade, causing the metal defensive emplacement to become twisted and distorted, leaving the defenders behind it vulnerable to attack. Snarling angrily, he charged, firing his shotgun and killing two of the defenders behind it, before smashing through the weakened metal, grabbing his hammer off his back and smashing it against a security officer, pulverizing the man's ribcage despite his armor and its shielding. Roaring out in victory, he turned, swinging the hammer and actually decapitating another officer as he let out an exhilarated laugh.

Naruto cursed, as he saw the break in their line, and how other pirates were taking advantage, charging towards the breach. Without a second thought he charged over, biotics flaring as he launched a powerful singularity in front of the breach. The pirates were caught in it, yelling in surprise as they were yanked into the air, while Naruto followed up with a throw launched at Kroth.

The krogan grunted as the biotic throw smashed into him, the force of it causing him to stumble back a few paces. Snarling, he turned, only for his eyes to widen behind his helmet as he saw the red biotics surrounding the vulzan who now challenged him. "Well well! So I get to meet the infamous Red Maelstrom!" He said with a laugh, gripping his hammer.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Red Maelstrom?" He demanded, his biotics still active and ready to use if need be.

"You don't know your own reputation?!" Kroth asked, still laughing. "You and your sister are quite famous for your little stand on Elysium there. The Red and Blue Maelstrom, that's what they called you. Two biotic storms of death and destruction. Heh, makes me wish I could have seen you both in action. Guess I'll get half my wish," he said, smirking.

"If you mean your death wish, I'll be happy to oblige," Naruto said, growling as he rushed forward, letting out a yell as he focused his biotics into his land, launching a throw at Kroth.

Again, the krogan was sent stumbling back from the red biotic throw, before Naruto slammed into him, pushing him back over the barricade. He smirked, surprised at the strength his opponent had. It was enough for him to feel the blow of Naruto smashing into him.

Naruto however was shocked at how hard it had been to push Kroth back over the barricade, even when the krogan was off balance from the throw. Even still, the krogan's weight and mass had made it difficult, and if Kroth had pushed back, Naruto had no doubts he would have been sent flying. Still, with Kroth out of the defensive line, he could focus now on fighting him. Bringing his Lancer up, he fired it almost point blank range at Kroth, who laughed as he threw up another barrier, the rounds being deflected by the biotic shield.

Kroth let out a roar, charging Naruto and swinging his hammer down, as Naruto swiftly dodged to one side, swinging the Lancer around to fire at Kroth's back, the rounds again hitting the biotic barrier. Kroth whirled, his hammer scything through the air at Naruto's head, forcing him to duck, only for him to get thrown back as Kroth unleashed his own throw, sending Naruto flying. He managed to flip in the air, barely landing on his feet and skidding to a stop before he could smash into a crate. He was forced to duck as a turian pirate fired his shotgun at him.

Kroth roared out angrily at his crew. "No! He's mine!" he shouted, warning them not to shoot Naruto. Grinning, he charged forward with a battle cry, preparing to smash his hammer down on Naruto.

Naruto quickly dodged to one side, watching the hammer smash into the deck. He was unprepared however for Kroth to quickly turn, dragging his hammer along the deck before swinging it up, smashing the Lancer from Naruto's hands. The assault rifle flew through the air, broken into dozens of pieces, leaving Naruto scrabbling for his Predator sidearm as Kroth laughed in exhilaration. "Come, Maelstrom! You face Lotark Kroth, last battle master of Clan Lotark! Prove yourself worthy and I'll take your head as a trophy!" He shouted, beginning to be lost in a battle frenzy.

Naruto grimaced, gently touching the Predator at his side. That small heavy pistol wasn't going to do him any good, not against this krogan. If he could expose the krogan's head he could maybe get into a position to shoot him underneath his jaw, but otherwise, the krogan's biotics, shields, and armor would simply shrug off the bullets of his pistol. Seeing no other option, he settled himself into a stance, readying to go hand to hand.

Kroth grinned behind his helmet, gripping his war hammer. " _KORBAL!_ " he shouted, rushing forward and swinging his hammer down. Naruto side stepped it, getting in close and grabbing Kroth's arm while trying to wrap around it, to get Kroth's arm into a lock where he could try to damage or dislocate it. Kroth just laughed, swinging his arm and smashing Naruto into a crate, causing the vulzan to let out a loud cry of pain. He turned, swinging his arm and sending Naruto flying. This time, dazed by the pain, Naruto hit the wall, crying out again as he hit the ground.

Kroth started to stomp towards him, even as the battle around them had died. Members from both sides were watching, the Alliance members horrified, the pirates grinning, as they watched this fight.

Naruto, shaking his head and struggling through the pain, looked up as Kroth stomped towards him. Summoning his biotics, he let out a yell, launching a warp at Kroth that hit him dead on. The warp quickly began to drain the shields of Kroth's armor, and then began to disrupt the armor's molecular bonds at the subatomic level, but Kroth just charged forward, roaring and swinging his hammer down at Naruto, who barely managed to roll away, grimacing as he felt his back flare in pain. Flat on his back, he threw both hands out, pushing as much energy as he could into another throw.

This one actually managed to knock Kroth back, almost sending the large reptilian pirate onto his small stubby tail. Before he could regain his balance, Naruto had surged up, charging and jumping onto him, his momentum being enough to drive the off balance Krogan to the ground. Naruto quickly scrabbled, desperately grabbing at the seals and clamps that kept the krogan's helmet in place, working them to remove it.

Kroth roared as he delivered a devastating punch to Naruto's face, sending him flying off him. Getting up, he reached up, tearing his helmet off and tossing it aside, revealing his scarred, flat, reptile face to everyone. "Yes, we will face each other eye to eye! I want you to look into my eyes as the life drains from you!" he shouted.

Naruto groaned, slowly getting back up, coughing up a bit of blood from inside his mouth, where he had bit his cheek due to the punch Kroth had delivered. He blearily looked at Kroth, trying to orient himself, only to let out a cry as Kroth's armored foot smashed into his stomach, driving the air out of it and causing him to cough up more blood. He dropped to the floor, gasping and trying to breathe, eyes bleary with tears from the pain, mind reeling and disoriented.

"Get up! Get up and give me a proper fight!" Kroth demanded, grabbing Naruto and tossing him to one side. Naruto skidded and rolled, eventually stopping and panting heavily. He slowly managed to get one foot under him, pushing himself up to a kneeling position. He charged up another biotic throw, launching it at Kroth, only to watch as he batted aside the crimson ball of dark matter with his own blue glowing fist.

Kroth growled as he grabbed Naruto by one arm, lifting him up so he dangled in the air. "Is this all you're capable of? Pathetic!" He shouted.

Naruto glared at him, and spat in his face, before summoning every ounce of strength he had left, putting it into one final punch that he launched at Kroth's face with his free hand. The blow actually turned Kroth's head, even as Naruto grunted, feeling some pain in his fist.

Kroth slowly turned his head, smirking. "Good…that's the first time I've felt pain in a long time," he said, before dropping Naruto to his feet. Before Naruto could react, Kroth backhanded him, sending him spiraling into some crates, causing them to crash. Kroth gripped his hammer, approaching Naruto.

The young vulzan could only pant, his body in a half seated, half lying position. His face was already swelling a bit from the punch Kroth had delivered, and blood trickled both from his mouth and from the top of his head, which had been opened by him crashing into the crates. The blood ran down over his right eye, making half his vision seem like it was in a red haze. His whole body ached, and he didn't feel the strength to even twitch, let alone get up.

Kroth just growled softly, gripping his hammer. "I was expecting a bit more from such a famous and exotic opponent. You disappoint me," he growled, raising his war hammer, preparing to strike, when a shotgun blast smashed into his shields from behind. Whirling, he growled searching for the one who dared attack him.

Naruto weakly looked up, his eyes widened fractionally as he saw Sarah standing there, shotgun in hand, trembling yet standing defiantly. She cocked the shotgun again, firing another round of pellets from it, which hit Kroth's shields. The krogan growled angrily as he charged towards her.

Sarah barely managed to dodge to one side, hitting the ground. She turned over, shooting at Kroth again, only to let out a cry of pain as Kroth kicked her in the chest, sending her crashing into a wall. He stomped over, grabbing her and lifting her up, glaring at her as she weakly grabbed at his hand holding her neck. "You are very brave, and very, very stupid, little insect," Kroth growled bringing her close to her face. "Any last words?"

Sarah looked over at Naruto, who was shaking his head, struggling to move, before looking back at Kroth. "G-Go to hell," she managed to get out, even as he choked her.

Kroth just sneered, before jerking his hand, resulting in a snap that echoed through the entire cargo bay. He dropped the corpse he now held in his hands, turning away from her.

Naruto could only stare at Sarah's lifeless body, not believing what he was seeing, slumping over in defeat as the pain and shock overwhelmed him. His eyes dimmed, as darkness began to enclose him. The last thing he saw was Kroth letting out a roar of victory, as his vision slowly faded to black.

But before he slipped into unconsciousness, he felt something tugging at his mind. A soft voice, to soft to be heard, seemed to be urging him to do something. He tried to focus on the voice, to understand it.

As he focused on the voice, he began to make out some words, words in his native tongue, urging him. " _ **Te dek walo if! Jkudt! Vawxk!**_ "

' _I can't…he's too strong…_ ,' Naruto thought in response.

The voice did not answer, but instead, Naruto saw an image in his mind, an image of a man, a vulzan like him, his eyes closed and focused, even as his body became shrouded in an aura of biotic energy. The man opened his eyes, letting loose a roar, before charging into a swarm of other enemies, tearing into them with gory ferocity.

' _W-What is that? H-How can I do that?_ ' He asked the voice in his mind, which spoke.

" _ **Khijk eih adjkadskj**_ ," the voice said, as Naruto nodded quietly, and reached deep within himself. As weak as he felt at the moment, part of him didn't want to rest. Seeing the corpse of the woman who had moved to defend him, he wanted…no needed one thing at the moment: blood.

Kroth was growling, readying to charge the remaining defensive line, seeing the incredibly demoralized Alliance soldiers. There was nothing left to stop him. He prepared to surge forward, only to stop as a blast of energy washed over everyone present. He whirled, eyes narrowed, only for them to widen.

Naruto was slowly standing up, head bowed, as his biotics swirled around him angrily, pure crimson energy twisting and writhing, before it began to coalesce into a shroud surrounding him. The shroud slowly began to take shape, ethereal claws extending from his hands and feet, and two protrusions like ears growing from the 'head' of the shroud. A long tendril extended from his back, whipping and snapping like a tail.

The whole time his head had been bowed, eyes hidden in the shadow of his hair. But now he looked up, his face contorted in a feral snarl, revealing his teeth. His eyes were no longer their bright blue, but instead were blood red, filled with anger, hatred, and bloodlust. He threw his head back, roaring in rage and anger, a roar that reverberated throughout the ship.

At the docking ports, the Alliance security officers and pirates were still fighting, only to stop as they heard this primal roar. A roar that drove fear deep into their hearts. Even on the bridge, Captain Carson looked up, shivering as he heard the roar.

Kroth stared, shocked at the entity before him, as Naruto lowered himself down, one hand touching the deck, the other held out, hands extended like they were claws. The tail like tendril of biotic energy wavered and swayed, as Naruto growled, his body tensing, before he suddenly shot forward, his speed nearly double of what it was before. Kroth wasn't even able to react before he felt like he was hit with a small skycar right into the chest, sending him flying from the force of the blow, smashing into a pile of crates. Panting and gasping for air, he shot up, letting out his own roar of challenge, not noticing that where he had been punched, the armor was warped and smoking, as if he had been hit by a warp blast.

Naruto just growled in response, charging again, this time aiming for Kroth's head. Kroth ducked, but the punch clipped his hump scoring deeply into the arm and spinning him from the force of the blow. Naruto whirled, kneeing Kroth in the face, sending him staggering back, before leaping and front flipping, delivering a devastating double hammer blow to Kroth's head, smashing the krogan into the deck. Naruto gave him a devastating kick to the side, sending Kroth flying as he returned the favor for the kicks the krogan gave him during their fight.

The pirates could only stare in horror now, as their leader was being tossed around by this…this monster. Krogan battle masters were among some of the deadliest and most dangerous combatants out there. They not only had centuries of combat experience, but also had powerful biotics, in addition to their overwhelming strength and physical endurance. And yet now, they could see Kroth bleeding, apparently wounded bad enough to break his thick hide, and damage his internal organs.

Kroth grunted, slowly getting up, and throwing his own warp blast at Naruto. The vulzan simply batted it away, growling as he suddenly shot out his other arm, the energy around it firing his own crimson projectile. It hit Kroth, the pull yanking him towards Naruto, who grabbed Kroth and slammed him hard into the deck, creating a crater. Not done yet though, Naruto grabbed Kroth, lifting him and roaring as he threw the krogan against a bulkhead, creating a large dent there was as well, as Kroth was buried in the wall.

The krogan slumped to the deck, feeling pain throughout his body like he had never felt before. He groaned, slowly trying to push himself up, only to stop as Naruto slammed a foot onto his arm that still managed to weakly grasp his war hammer. Naruto reached down, grabbing said arm, and then with a roar and a yank, he managed to rip the limb free, blood spurting from both the limb and Kroth's shoulder. The krogan screamed in pain, feeling his limb torn from his body, as Naruto held it and the war hammer in one hand.

Naruto slowly looked at the war hammer, before pulling it free from the krogan's severed arm, and holding it with both hands. Kroth looked up at him, a look of resignation and actual admiration on his face. "Heh…you've earned it…finish it, Maelstrom," Kroth said in a pained whisper, closing his eyes, accepting his fate.

Naruto let out a roar as he swung the hammer up, and then brought it down, smashing Kroth's head and reducing it to a bloody pulp of bone, skin, and brain matter. Yanking the hammer back, Naruto stood there over his defeated enemy, gripping the bloody war hammer.

The pirates trembled in fear, as a few of the smarter or more cowardly ones turned to run back to the ship. That movement drew Naruto's attention as he turned, seeing them. He growled softly, taking a step forward, as in his mind, only one thought was dominant: destroy his enemies. He dashed forward, smashing into them, swinging the hammer and smashing it into the body of a batarian, the alien pirate screaming briefly in pain as his ribcage was destroyed before the air was driven from his body and he fell to the deck, dead. Naruto spun, smashing the hammer into a second pirate, a human, whose head was simply vaporized by the sheer force of the hammer smashing into it. As the pirates retreated, Naruto spun, sweeping the legs out from under a turian before smashing the hammer into his midsection, finishing him.

The pirates bottlenecked briefly at the entranceway they created, those in back yelling and crying out in panic, urging others to move faster or trying to push past them. Naruto turned, growling, and starting to head towards them, only to stop as he heard a voice behind him. He turned, seeing a man standing there, his hands out. But to Naruto, in his bloodlust, his battle frenzy, all he saw was another target. Snarling, he took a step forward.

Robert stopped as he heard that snarl, saw the movement that Naruto made. He stopped moving, watching Naruto warily. He, like the others, had been horrified at the sight of Naruto being beaten, and even more so when Sarah had tried to save him, only to be brutally killed. But this…this animalistic Naruto…it was far worse. Now, Robert began to wonder if Naruto was even control at the moment, as he spoke again. "Naruto, you need to stop. Please," he said quietly.

Naruto just took another step forward, gripping the hammer, the weapon now soaked in blood and gore. Robert took a step back, hands out still in a sign of peace, even as the others readied their weapons. "Naruto, calm down. The fighting is done. You can stop now. Please," Robert said.

Naruto took another step forward, only for his foot to hit something. Looking down, he found himself staring at the corpse of a woman. His enraged mind was barely able to register that it recognized her: Sarah. The woman who he had talked to in the galley. Who had tried to save him.

This pause caused Naruto's senses to return to him. The battle rage subsided, as he began to comprehend what he was seeing, what was going around him. The shroud slowly began to dissipate, as he looked up at Robert, his eyes first becoming amethyst, and then blue again, as he registered who was in front of him. Who he had been stalking towards, who he had been preparing to kill.

As the last of the battle frenzy left him, Naruto felt horror wash over him. He had been preparing to attack Robert. He had been preparing to attack his own allies, his fellow shipmates. That wave of horror, combined with pain from his injuries, and exhaustion from the adrenaline and all the biotics he had used, caused his eyes to slowly roll back up into his head as he collapsed to the deck, unconscious.

 _SSV Moscow, Theseus System_

Alicia currently stood on the bridge of the SSV _Moscow_ , one of the Alliance warships gathering for the planned invasion of Torfan. Through the viewports she could see dozens of ships silently floating by, with dozens more around the ship, as they waited for the last of the warships, supplies, and marines that would be part of the invasion plan.

Alicia knew that the battle ahead was likely to be a tough one. She had studied the defenses of the planet, and knew clearing the pirates out would be an incredibly difficult proposition. The marines going in would have the worst of it, as they would have to fight the pirates and slavers who called Torfan home for every inch of their underground facilities.

Alicia felt a sense of guilt that the marines would be on the ground fighting and dying, while she would be safe onboard this cruiser. Well, at least safe once they had cleared the ships, orbital defenses, and the anti-orbital ground defenses. Still, there was a chance she'd end up in combat, as the various ship captains had been ordered to keep their own contingents of shipboard soldiers ready to land to reinforce the marine divisions heading into the underground facilities.

She frowned as she heard a couple of the officers talking about a transport ship that apparently was late, and should have arrived hours ago. Wondering what was going on, her attention was drawn away as a crewman approached. The man stopped and saluted her. "Lieutenant Shepard?" He asked.

"Yes, what is it?" She asked, returning the salute.

"Communication Specialist Edwards ma'am. You have a message addressed to you from a Commander Shepard. It's marked urgent," he said, as Alicia blinked in surprise.

"I understand. Please route it to my cabin, I'll see to it immediately," she said, saluting and dismissing him.

As he left, she quickly moved to the officer of the watch, informing him about the message, and receiving permission to leave her post. Heading quickly to her cabin, she wondered why her mother was contacting her. There would be no reason to do so unless something bad had happened, or she simply wished to wish Alicia good luck. Frowning, she soon reached the cabin she shared with another officer, and headed to her terminal. Activating it, she entered the proper codes to have the message routed to her.

Soon enough, the image of her mother appeared on the screen. And in an instant, Alicia felt her heart plummet, as she saw the look on her mother's face. "Mom…what's going on?" She asked, her voice hitching slightly.

Hannah let out a shuddering breath. "Alicia…your…the ship your brother was on…the transport…it was attacked by pirates. He was badly injured, and is in a coma," she finally got out, after a few moments.

Alicia's eyes went wide, before she quietly dropped into the seat in front of the terminal. "…tell me everything," she said quietly.

 _Unknown Place and Time_

Naruto blinked, feeling sunlight on his face. Frowning, he slowly sat up, looking around, finding himself in the middle of a grassy plain, near the edge of a forest. Nearby, a river quietly gurgled along.

As Naruto stood, he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity, a sense like he had finally come home. Which seemed strange to him since he knew he had never been here before. Slowly looking around, searching for any sign of life, he stopped as he saw movement within the forest. Movement that soon was revealed to be a large fox, with a brilliant white fur coat, and silvery eyes.

The fox approached him, but as it drew nearer, its form began to morph, slowly turning into a bipedal form, before becoming a white, ethereal humanoid. Naruto slowly took in the entities features, and realized with a start that the entity had some of the same basic features he had. The same ear shape, the same pupils, and fangs. He blinked, looking the figure over, before finally speaking. "Who…are you?"

The figure's mouth didn't open, but he still heard a voice, that seemed to echo through the whole area. " _I am your heritage, Naruto. I am that which makes you vulzan._ "

Naruto blinked at that. "I don't understand. What do you mean?"

The figure seemed to smile, as the voice spoke again. " _I am…a representation, if you will, of your genetic memory. We are currently deep inside your memory, your soul, a place that very few vulzan ever intentionally entered. It takes many years of meditation and soul searching to be able to come here willingly. Most are like you, only able to come here through unconsciousness. In this case, I drew your mind here, to help you finally understand, and embrace your heritage._ "

"My heritage?" Naruto asked, his eyes growing steely for a second. "You mean a heritage that involves being blood lusting monsters, who would attack their own allies and slaughter them?!"

The figure let out a sad sigh at that. " _That is a part of your heritage, yes. But do not judge your race for one single incident. The battle shroud you utilized is a powerful technique, one that gives any vulzan incredible power and speed, through the manipulations of this 'mass effect'. Even the shroud itself is a weapon, creating a destabilizing effect on all that it touches. But it comes at a price. It is a very draining ability, but even that pales compared to the battle frenzy you felt. Yes, all vulzan feel the battle frenzy, the blood lust you felt. But most vulzan can control it. You could not._ "

Naruto looked down slightly, only for the entity to wave a hand. " _I do not say that to chastise you. Under your conditions, it was remarkable you were able to stop yourself from attacking your allies. You simply need to understand the truth about what it is you are capable of doing. Please, let us sit and be comfortable._ "

As the entity sat down, Naruto slowly did the same, watching the entity as it spoke again. " _You must understand Naruto, that the vulzan are a race driven by instincts. The rukkco jxhei is a technique that brings the instincts most associated with combat and survival to the surface. Those who have no experience in feeling the overwhelming strength of one's desire to fight, to survive, to destroy threats to your life, your family, your territory, they will not be able to control it for very long, if at all. With practice and time, the jxhei can be controlled, and it will be your tool, rather than you being its tool._ "

"I don't know if I want to use it again," Naruto said softly. "I…I can remember the feelings I had while using it. At first, I just felt powerful, strong enough to fight that krogan. But then…the more I hurt him…the more I felt…like I had to hurt him. I had to kill him. It wasn't just about stopping him, or protecting the ship. It was…it was about causing as much pain and injury to him as possible. And then those pirates…they weren't fighting me…they were fleeing…but I killed them…I killed them because I wanted to…"

The entity placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. " _As I said, when the instincts take over, they can be incredibly powerful, and perhaps too much for most to handle. Do not be discouraged, but take what happened here to heart, and learn from it._ "

Naruto nodded, before slowly looking around. "So…this place…is it from…my people's memories?"

" _It is from the memories of your family and ancestors who lived on the world the Fhekxoudj brought them to. A verdant world, which the vulzan race flourished on, growing in numbers and strength, and serving them as proud warriors. It is however not the planet our people come from. This…is that planet,_ " the entity said, waving his hand, as the scenery changed. Now instead, they found themselves on a somewhat more arid world, with windswept plains, stunted trees, and mountains off in the distance.

" _This was the world of your earliest ancestors. A world that was slowly dying, unable to support life for much longer, as the vulzan clans grew into sentience. It is here that we grew from mindless beasts, into the clans that fought each other, but also fought alongside each other when our people's survival was at stake,_ " he said, before the scenery returned to the previous grassy plain.

Naruto looked around again, before looking at the entity. "So…how does this work then? I've felt these small nudges, almost like a little voice in my mind whispering to me. But I've never…well I've never really been experiencing anything like what I thought the genetic memory thing was supposed to be."

The entity nodded quietly. " _That is understandable. For most vulzan, it develops during their adolescent years, when they start to venture out on their own, to establish their independence from their parents. Your development, however, was stunted by the Fhekxoudj, when they took you for study. Your development was delayed by several years, and it has taken time for you to overcome the trauma that you suffered because of it. But now, you are ready. But as to how it works, you do not truly 'view' the memories given to you by your parents, grandparents, and ancestors, at least not while you're conscious. The memories are simply within you, unconsciously guiding and directing you. You will continue to note the subconscious nudges and urges, but they will be more potent, more understandable. They will not control you, however, unless you allow them to. However…when you sleep, or meditate, with time and practice, you'll be able to view memories stored in your DNA. The memories belonging to your family will be the strongest, and the farther back you go, the weaker and harder to see they'll become._ "

Naruto hesitated for a moment, before finally asking. "Can…you show me my family? My biological one?" He asked.

"… _I can show you some of their memories, yes. If that is your wish._ " The entity said, slowly standing, and offering a hand to Naruto. " _But there is much to discuss, to help you fully understand your people's heritage and history. To help you understand what it means to be vulzan._ "

"I understand," Naruto said, taking the entity's hand, and standing up. The entity turned, and led him towards the forest, with Naruto following, and the pair disappearing within.

 _Arcturus Station Medical Wing_

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, blinking as he slowly took in the ceiling above, the lights being bright enough to illuminate the room, but not enough to blind anyone looking up at them. He tried turning his head, to take in his surroundings, and find out where he was. Noticing several other beds, as well as medical equipment, he finally came to the conclusion he was in a hospital or infirmary.

Looking further down his bed, he blinked as he saw his mother and sister, both of them asleep in chairs near his bed. He felt a weak smile twitch on his lips, as he gently reached out, touching his mom's shoulder.

That simply touch seemed to rouse her, as Hannah Sheppard sleepily blinked her eyes, sitting up. She glanced at Naruto, before yawning and stretching, only to stop as she realized what she had seen, and her eyes shot back to Naruto. "Naruto? You're awake!" she cried, reaching out and grabbing him, hugging him.

Naruto let out a soft groan, his body feeling stiff and slightly sore, but all the same he accepted her hug. All of this of course caused Alicia to wake up, making her gasp. As soon as Hannah let him go, Alicia was hugging him, making him groan again. "Whoa, easy please. Little sore here," Naruto said.

"Shut up moron. If you weren't injured I'd be bopping you on the head for fighting a krogan battle master by yourself," Alicia said, trying to sound like she was angry even as relief swept through her at the sight of her little brother being awake.

Naruto just sighed at that, as Alicia finally let him go. Naruto tried to sit up, but found that doing so was too much, so he settled for laying back and shifting a bit. "How long have I been out?"

"Two months," Alicia said. "You were in a coma this entire time. Your body was already healing up the wounds you suffered from your fight, but the doctors still had to operate to ensure everything healed up properly. Must have been one hell of a fight," she said, as Hannah sniffled, remembering how hard it had been seeing Naruto unconscious and bandaged up.

Naruto just nodded numbly, as he remembered what happened during the fight. "Yeah…it was…w-what happened, after I fell unconscious?" He asked quietly.

"Well, the transport ship was able to send out a distress call, and help quickly arrived after that. They got repair crews onboard and the _Randolph_ was able to get to a port, to finish up repairs. They had you transferred to the colony's hospital, and then you were brought back here to Arcturus Station," Hannah said. "The pirates however got away."

"Not for long they didn't," Alicia said a bit darkly. "The assholes ran back to Torfan, only to be caught on the ground when the Alliance invasion hit. We lost a lot of good men, but we wiped the pirates out. They won't ever be using that planet again."

At her mentioning the loss of Alliance marines, Naruto was reminded of the lifeless gaze of Sarah's corpse, and looked away for a moment. "I see," he whispered.

"You okay?" Alicia asked, seeing that. Naruto just numbly nodded, but Hannah, remembering what they had been told about the fight on the ship, understood.

"It's about what happened during the fight, isn't it? When you lost control," she said quietly. Alicia's eyes widened, while Naruto let out a resigned sigh.

"Should have known they would have told you guys about that," he said quietly. "It's not just the fight…I…I feel horrible about losing control like I did, but…well let's just say I have a better understanding of what that was, and what happened. I'm definitely not going to be using that ability for a long, very long time," he added "but I do understand it now. I…I'm more bothered by…I'm bothered by the death of one of the crew members. A Sarah Mitchells," he said. "I…I feel responsible for her death…we had been talking in the galley earlier and…she was asking me about Elysium. Asking how Alicia and I could charge off and fight off all those pirates and slavers by ourselves. And I told her that it was simply because we knew it had to be done. Even if it meant we would die, we still did it because it was the right thing to do. And then there, when that krogan was tossing me around, and about to kill me…she steps in and saves me…and he killed her…he just grabbed her and snapped her neck…and I…I just…," he whispered, tears forming in his eyes.

Hannah slowly reached out and hugged him close, as he quietly cried. "She's dead because of me…because I filled her head with nonsense and wasn't strong enough to fight my own battle…we were talking in the galley, and she was nice, and happy, and so full of life…and then he killed her…"

Hannah just held onto him, as he quietly cried, letting out his emotions, while Alicia bit her lip, wishing she could also comfort her brother. After a few moments, she finally spoke up, shaking his knee to grab his attention. "Hey…you can't blame yourself Naruto. She did what she thought was right. Maybe she got the idea from you, but it was still her choice. You can't blame yourself for that. And instead of sitting here, crying about it…you should honor her."

Naruto looked up at her slowly, the unasked question in his eyes, so she elaborated. "She died saving you Naruto. So you need to honor that sacrifice, by growing strong, and proving her sacrifice was worth it."

Naruto just sniffled, looking down. "I…I guess you're right," he said, though his voice still sounded low and somewhat broken.

Hannah gently stroked his head, running her hands through his thick hair, much like she did when he was younger. He leaned slightly towards her at that, as Hannah smiled. "Give it time Naruto. That girl's sacrifice is sad, but she did it because you inspired her. Don't think of just her death, but what she was willing to do for you. And fight, just as she did," she said.

Naruto nodded quietly, as Hannah sighed, gently petting his head still. "Don't worry son. We'll get through this."

"Yeah. Because we're a family. And family sticks together," Alicia said softly.

Naruto looked up at Hannah, then at Alicia, before looking at his own hands, thinking about what he had seen while unconscious. He had seen his biological family. His mother Kushina, or Bijxadu in their native tongue, and his father Minato, or Maduke. He had learned the history of his people, of the clans of vulzan who had warred on each other, but had united together to fight against the Protheans, and then the Protheans enemies.

But despite all that…he knew that these two women, despite being from a different race, were just as much his family. He slowly reached out, gripping both their hands, and smiling slightly. They'd get through this, because they were family.

* * *

 **Whew, finally done. I tell you, I did not expect this chapter to be this long.**

 **So yeah, quite a long chapter here, but considering I'm ending the 'origin arc' if you will, I think it deserves it. Maybe. Guess we'll see what you all think.**

 **Regarding the fight Naruto had with Kroth, I wanted to use this to help establish Naruto's limitations. Naruto is faster and stronger than any human, and probably either faster, stronger, or both when compared to most other species as well. But krogan…there is very little that is stronger or harder to kill then a krogan. Naruto is strong, fast, but even he has limitations, especially when going against a krogan battle master. Krogan by themselves are ridiculously strong and hard to kill, but a battle master is all of that with biotics and a few centuries or a millennium of combat experience to boot. So I hope that you all now have an understanding of where Naruto is at power wise in the Mass Effect universe. He's strong, but he's definitely not the strongest out there. at least...not without some 'boosts'.**

 **With regards to the biotic shroud Naruto used, yes that is referencing his jinchuuriki cloak from the manga and anime. It's a biotic ability inherent to his species, which allows them to have incredibly high strength, speed, and endurance, thanks to the biotic field affecting Naruto's mass. He can use it to lighten his mass, increasing his speed, or increasing the force of his blows by increasing the mass, thus causing a lot more damage. Throw in a variation of the annihilation field used by N7 Fury Adepts in Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, and presto, Mass Effect jinchuuriki shroud. However, the downside is as I mentioned in the chapter: the user can enter terrible bloodlusts and battle frenzy's if they don't learn to control their emotions and instincts during combat, leading to potentially attacking allies, or driving themselves to a point of exhaustion that they drop dead. Think krogan blood rage, or Viking berserkergang.**

 **So, not much else to say here, except we've finally ended the origin arc for Naruto and Alicia (mostly Naruto) and now we're ready to get into the main story! So next chapter, expect to see Eden Prime! Can't wait.**

 **Thanks go out again to my beta's a7xfanatic1195 (or just 11 currently), and Kyuubi123, for their help in correcting my mistakes and helping me fix up my plot. Thank you guys for your help!**

 **Also, late Happy Birthday to me!**

 **Translations:**

 **1\. Homomroh nxe no uho, Duhike. Homomroh nxuk ak moudj ke ro vulzan = Remember who we are, Naruto. Remember what it means to be vulzan.**

 **2\. Te dek walo if! Jkudt! Vawxk! = Do not give up! Stand! Fight!**

 **3\. Khjik eih adjkadskj = Trust your instincts**

 **4\. Rkkco jxheit = Battle Shroud**

 **5\. Fhekxoudj = Protheans**


	7. Trouble in Paradise

**Well we've finally reached it. The first chapter that actually covers the events of the game. Sorry it took so long to get here, but I wanted to make sure and give…well enough info on Naruto and Alicia's background to understand them. Sadly, looking back, I think I did way too much on Naruto and not enough on Alicia. Guess we'll see what happens, won't we?**

 **Thank you to everyone who has so far supported this fanfic, and helped me to have the confidence to get to this point. I honestly was and still am very nervous about this fanfic, but I'm also excited, and hope that it continues to entertain and impress.**

 **On a different not, HeliX Sol is looking for people who could perhaps draw fanart for their fanfics. If you're interested, or know someone who can draw fanart for them., please contact them via PM, please.**

 **So, without further ado, onto the show!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Naruto. They are the property of Bioware and Masashi Kishimoto respectively. This is a nonprofit fan made fiction. Please support the official releases.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **Trouble in Paradise**

 _Arcturus Station, 2183_

The heart of Alliance operations, home to the Systems Alliance Parliament, and headquarters for the Systems Alliance military, Arcturus Station was one of the busiest locations in Alliance space. Warships were constantly docking to transfer crewmembers and cargo, receiving new crew transfers and deployment orders before launching. Platoons of marines would be transferred from one transport ship to another to be ferried to their new postings, or to be rotated back home for well-deserved leave. The highest ranking officers of the Alliance overlooked scouting reports and declassified intelligence files, and used that information to direct the warships and marine forces of humanity in the defense of their borders.

At one of the docking ports lining the exterior of the station was the newest ship in the Alliance navy, the lead ship of the new _Normandy_ -class Stealth Reconnaissance frigates, the _SSV Normandy_ , designation SR1. At a glance, you could tell she was a different breed from her fellow Alliance ships. While most Alliance ships were angular, looking like large triangular darts, this ship was sleek, with a rounded main hull and engines mounted on short wings, giving her the look of an oversized fighter rather than a warship. Reaching in between ninety and a hundred meters long, her hull was painted black and a grayish-white, with a few red lines accenting her hull, and her name proudly displayed along her sides.

The _Normandy_ was the product of a joint design venture between the Systems Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy, an attempt to bridge the gap that the First Contact War had created between the two races and governments, with her development being sponsored by the Council itself. As such, she incorporated many new design features not yet seen in the more mainstream warships used by the Alliance or the Hierarchy, making her a cutting-edge prototype.

Onboard, Captain David Anderson frowned as he sat in the captain's cabin on the ship's 'crew deck', listening to the communication in front of him. He was currently connected to both Admiral Steven Hackett, commander of the Alliance Fifth Fleet, and Ambassador Udina, humanity's ambassador to the Council races on the Citadel. Currently, they were in discussion regarding a certain 'guest' who had been onboard the Normandy since it left Earth's orbital construction yards.

"So the reason I've got a turian Spectre onboard is not because the Council and the Hierarchy want to see the culmination of this little joint venture, but because they're evaluating Commander Shepard for Spectre candidacy?" The London born Alliance captain asked, looking from the image of Hackett to Udina. It was the latter who responded to him.

" _That is correct, captain. Nihlus was the one who put forth Commander Shepard's name for candidacy and the Council believes that he is onto something here. Her record is one of the best in the Alliance,_ " Udina said.

" _She's one of the best I've seen in years,_ " Hackett said in his gruffer tone. " _Military service runs in her blood, what with both her parents serving in the Alliance. She stood the line on Elysium, and was instrumental in saving a battalion of marines on Torfan that was in danger of being destroyed. She's a highly skilled N7, and quite a capable biotic._ "

Anderson nodded at all that, sitting back slightly in his chair. "That's all true. But what about her brother, Captain Naruto? I'm surprised the Council and the Alliance aren't trying to make him a Spectre," he commented. (1)

Udina just gave an 'hmph' noise. " _Believe me the turians at least would love nothing better, if to simply get more control over him. But the rest of the Council and the Alliance both think that he is not entirely the best choice for the job. This will be humanity's first Spectre, and it should be a human who takes the position, not an adopted alien,_ " he said.

Hackett gave a bit of a glare at Udina, before speaking up. " _Captain Naruto is an excellent marine, and has proven to be as good an N7 as his sister. But there are questions about his temperament being the right one for the job, after that incident onboard the Randolph,_ " he said, making Anderson nod quietly.

"Alright, I understand then. I'll afford Agent Nihlus as much courtesy and assistance as I am able. But I do think there could have been an easier way to do this then springing it on me and my crew when we're about to commence our ship's shakedown run," he said.

" _This is a simple but important mission you're going on, Captain Anderson. A perfect chance for Nihlus to begin his assessment of Commander Shepard. Complete the mission, and rendezvous at the Citadel,_ " Udina said, before narrowing his eyes. " _This is our second chance at getting a Spectre agent of our own, Anderson. I think you can appreciate what this means for us if we succeed and the consequences if something should go wrong. Do not allow the latter to happen,_ " Udina said, before curtly signing off.

The dark-skinned captain growled softly in anger. "That man is a certified jackass," he said to Hackett, who simply nodded in agreement, not seeming to care about the breach in protocol.

" _Why do you think I made sure to avoid any posting that put me within fifty light years of him?_ " Hackett asked with a wry grin. " _Good luck out there captain,_ " he said.

"Yes sir," Anderson said, saluting, as Hackett returned the salute, and then signed off. Anderson sighed before activating the ship's internal comm, directing the message to the helm. "Flight Lieutenant, status report."

" _We're all good to go here sir. All crew…and our passenger, are onboard, ship is fueled up, systems are online, and my lucky fuzzy dice are hanging from the viewport. We're good to go once we ask for clearance to leave,_ " Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau said over the comms.

"Watch the sass there, Joker. Run final systems check, and then request clearance to leave dock. Let me know when we're underway," he said, as he cut the communication.

Onboard the station, spectators watched from observation points as the _Normandy_ was detached from the mooring clamps and her maneuvering thrusters began to fire, gently pushing the ship away from the station and turning her to face open space. The engines glowed gently as she began to move away, the spectators cheering as they watched their newest warship set sail.

The _Normandy_ passed a couple other ships as she headed off, a flight of patrol fighters moving in and saluting the warship with a waggle of their wings before peeling off. As soon as she cleared the traffic around the station, the engines lit up and the ship surged ahead, no longer restricted in her speed as she headed towards the Mass Relay.

Onboard, Lieutenant Commander Alicia Shepard groaned as she stood up from her bunk in her shared quarters, stretching out her back muscles. The _Normandy_ 's accommodations were not the worst she had been in, but they were still rather cramped, given the ship's size. The ship's enlisted crew members and junior officers had to share sleeping pods located in the forward part of the crew deck, while the more senior officers, such as herself, the navigation officer, the chief engineer, and the commander of the ship's marine detachment had to share quarters located at the rear of the crew deck. (2) The chief medical officer, Doctor Chakwas, bunked inside the medical bay, so she was on hand for emergencies, while Captain Anderson, as the CO of the ship, got his own cabin.

Alicia moved over to the fold out sink inside the cabin, pulling it down and activating it to splash water in her face, before glancing up in the mirror above said sink. Staring back at her was a rather lovely twenty-nine year old woman with startling blue eyes and fiery red hair, currently in a loose ponytail with bangs over her forehead. She smiled at that, enjoying that one of the perks of being an N7 was somewhat looser regulations on appearance, so long as you looked presentable at official inspections and functions. She lightly traced the scar that marred her left eyebrow, her souvenir from the Skyllian Blitz, before turning the sink off and folding it back up. She grabbed a towel and dried her face and hands off, setting the towel aside and checking her uniform over. Seeing her left sleeve had bunched up a bit, she tugged on it, pulling it down to cover the tattoo on her left bicep of the N7 logo over a blue maelstrom, smiling softly in remembrance of when she got it. It was something she had gotten after graduating from the N7 program, along with Naruto, who had his own except with a red maelstrom instead.

Her uniform straightened out, she proceeded out into the small hall that connected the officer quarters to the crew deck. She turned as she did, heading up the stairs that led to the main deck, where the Combat Information Center and the helm were located.

As she passed by them, some of the younger crew members glanced up at her, and began whispering to their nearby crewmates. It was understandable, considering Alicia Shepard was a rather well known figure in the Alliance Navy. Her family being the one who not only discovered, but raised the vulzan Naruto would have been enough to turn some heads, but Alicia had topped that by leading the defense of the colony of Elysium against a numerically superior force of pirates and raiders, even standing with only her brother against hundreds, or thousands if you believed the gossip, of pirates and slavers. She had also been made well known two years later during the invasion of Torfan, when a battalion of marines under a Major Kyle had been pinned down, with half their numbers decimated. Request for reinforcements had led to several of the warships deploying their marine detachments and navy combat personnel, including the then Lieutenant Alicia Shepard. Her unit had linked up with what was left of Major Kyle's battalion, and Alicia had been instrumental in not only rallying the rest of the unit, but helping them break the enemy defenses they had been assigned to take out.

Alicia however just kept moving up to the helm, where she could see an armored turian figure standing, making her hesitate a bit. The turian Spectre, Nihlus, had come aboard before the ship had left Earth's orbital construction yards, and had seemed to be…well stalking her. At least that's what it seemed like to her, considering he seemed to always be somewhere nearby. Shaking her head, she moved up next to him, entering the cockpit where she could watch as the ship approached the Mass Relay.

In the pilot seat was Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, or Joker to most people. He was somewhat shorter than Alicia, and had a slighter build, with his lower face covered in a very short, fine haired beard. Currently he was expertly working the holographic controls. He reached over to activate the ship wide comm as the Relay grew bigger in the viewports on the bow of the ship. "All hands, prepare for Mass Relay Transit," Joker said, as he reconfigured the ship for the jump through the Relay.

Outside, the two exterior engines were retracted, sliding under the inner engines until they were now closer to the hull, giving the ship an even more streamlined appearance.

In the cockpit, Joker checked their approach vector. "Board is green, approach vector set. Transit in ten seconds," he reported, as Alicia moved to grip the nearby bulkhead with one hand, a slight grin on her face as she watched them now angle to move along the side of the Relay, which was starting to charge up.

"Three, two, and one," Joker said, as the ship was pulled into the field of the relay, and then was catapulted away, hurtling through space at unbelievable speeds. The space outside the viewports turned into a blue and purple vortex of light for a few seconds, before the ship slowed as it was caught in the field of their destination Relay.

Joker quickly began running through the post relay jump checklist, verbalizing the results. "Thrusters are green, navigation systems are green. IES stealth systems are engaged and reading as green. All systems reporting as operating and normal. Drift…just under fifteen hundred k," he said with a hint of pride at having managed to aim the ship to a point where it came out of its Relay jump quite close to the destination Relay.

Nihlus, his arms crossed, simply nodded. "Fifteen hundred is good. I'm sure your captain will be pleased," he said, as he turned and started to make his way aft. Leaving behind a somewhat glowering Joker, who glared back over his seat at the retreating turian. Looking forward again, Joker shifted his service cap.

"I hate that guy," he muttered, adjusting the ship's position and moving it away from the Relay to prevent any other incoming ships from ramming them by accident.

Next to Joker was another man, Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. A member of the Alliance Marine Corps, he was a specialist in both technical skills and biotics, leading to him falling under the 'Sentinel' training program in boot camp. He had been assigned to the _Normandy_ as the current head of the marine detachment onboard, though that really only amounted to five other marines at the moment. The ship was running with a skeleton crew, and would pick up her full crew and marine complement after completing her shakedown run to Eden Prime, the human colony located in the Utopia System of the Exodus Star Cluster.

Now he looked up from where he was running an analysis on the ship's weapons, glancing at Joker with a look of bemusement. "So you hate people who pay you compliments?" He asked.

Joker rolled his eyes. "It's only a compliment if it's not an understatement. You remember to add grease to your hair each morning, or zip up your jumpsuit after leaving the bathroom, that's good. What I just did was jump us halfway across the galaxy and land on a target the equivalent size of a pinhead. That's not good, that's incredible. So yeah, I hate the guy," he said.

Alicia snorted a bit as she glanced at Kaidan's hair, which did remind her of the greaser hairstyle worn back in the 1950's. Shaking her head, she listened as Joker continued. "Besides the fact that he obviously has no appreciation for incredibly flying, he's a Spectre. Spectres are always trouble. Call me paranoid, but I really don't like the idea of having one onboard."

Kaidan rolled his eyes. "You're paranoid, Joker. Nihlus isn't here to cause any trouble; he's just here to see how this ship turns out. Remember the Council helped fund this project and they want to make sure the investment pays off."

Joker scoffed. "Oh sure, that's the government's 'official' story. That's why you know it's a load of crap. No government ever tells the truth, especially when sending their top agents out on stuff like this," he said.

Alicia decided to butt in. "He's got you there Kaidan. If the Council really wanted to keep an eye on this ship, they could have sent someone not charged with maintaining galactic peace by any means necessary. Like a bureaucrat. Isn't this the sort of thing they live for? Finding out all the ways we're wasting money or not following the fifty million unnecessary guidelines they put into place?" She asked.

Joker nodded. "Exactly. You'd definitely know this was routine if we had a salarian or asari bureaucrat onboard. Mark my words, there's more going on then what the captain's told us," he said.

At that moment, as if summoned by Joker's words, the comm activated and Anderson's voice spoke up. " _Joker, status report._ "

"Speak of the devil," Joker muttered under his breath before speaking up. "We're clear of the Mass Relay, captain. All systems are in the green and stealth systems are engaged. We're ready to move out on your orders."

" _Good. Find the nearest comm buoy and link up with the comm network. I want to be able to send back reports to Alliance command before we hit Eden Prime. Then hold position and wait for further orders,_ " Anderson commanded.

"Aye, aye captain. Also…our guest was heading back aft sir. Might want to brace yourself if you run into him," Joker said.

" _Thank you for the warning, Flight Lieutenant,_ " Anderson said, his tone sounding a bit distracted and angry. " _Have Commander Shepard join us in the communication room for a briefing on the mission. Out._ "

As the communication cut off, Alicia rolled her eyes. "Well he doesn't sound happy. Guess something's happened. Maybe somebody scratched the paint already," she said.

"Naw, captain just always sounds angry when he's talking to me," Joker said.

As Alicia turned away, she heard Kaidan mutter "can't imagine why," under his breath, making her snort again as she headed aft.

Making her way back towards the rear part of the CIC, she blinked as she heard the ship's navigation officer, Lieutenant Pressly, speaking over his comm with someone. "I'm telling you Adams, I think he's up to something. You should have seen him pass by just now, looking like he was on a mission or something," the balding officer said.

The man on the other end of the ship, Engineer Adams, could be heard sighing. " _Pressly, he's a Spectre onboard a ship that the Council funded its development. I think his mission is to make sure their money wasn't wasted,_ " he said.

Pressly just frowned at that. "Still, this is an Alliance ship. It's just not right having someone who's not Alliance onboard."

"Problem with our guest, Lieutenant?" Alicia asked, as Pressly turned, snapping to attention.

"Oh, sorry ma'am. I didn't mean any disrespect," he said, quickly saluting.

Alicia returned the salute. "At ease Pressly. Speak your mind," she said.

The navigator shifted a bit. "It's nothing ma'am, just…a bit uneasy about having a turian Spectre onboard. Spectres are bad enough, but a turian one is…well I think that's rather pushing it. This is the Alliance's most cutting edge warship," he said.

"Which the turians helped design and build. Kind of hard to keep any secrets about the ship from them when they've got the blueprints for it," Alicia said with a slight grin, as Pressly looked a little sheepish at that point. "I don't think Nihlus is here to steal anything or sabotage the ship. But I do think there is something going on," she said.

"So I'm not the only one," Pressly said. "I'll admit I was surprised that you and Captain Anderson were assigned to the ship for the shakedown run. I could understand if they handed over command afterwards, but for something as simple as making sure the systems work? It's a bit overkill having two of the biggest heroes of the Alliance command a ship for a simple shakedown run," he said.

Alicia nodded. "Well hopefully we'll get some answers soon enough Pressly. For now, keep us flying straight and true," she said.

Pressly nodded as he saluted. "Yes ma'am," he said, as Alicia saluted him, and moved on. She had to admit that Pressly's suspicions mirrored her own. The run to Eden Prime didn't really require the services of people like her and Anderson, as any competent command officer could have handled commanding the ship for such a simple mission. Having the two of them here definitely meant something was up.

She allowed herself to be pulled from her thoughts as she walked past Doctor Chakwas, the somewhat aging medical officer shaking her silvery hair covered head at the enthusiastic ramblings of Corporal Jenkins, one of the young new marine recruits onboard, who was excitedly talking about having a Spectre onboard, and hoping to see some action. Slipping past the dividing wall that separated the entrance of the comm and briefing room from the CIC, she returned the salute of the two marines posted at the door and entered.

Inside, she found Nihlus, his back to her as he studied a large holo-image of some of the countryside of Eden Prime, a beautiful plain with lots of grass and greenery, and some buildings in the distance. She approached him, causing him to turn to her as she neared him. "Studying it for tactical weaknesses?" She asked jokingly, while trying not to be slightly intimidated by the white face paint and staring green eyes he had.

Nihlus simply turned back to the image. "It looks like quite a lovely world. Your people have worked hard to make it so, haven't they? Safe and tranquil? Proof that humanity can not only colonize the stars, but protect their colonies, yes?" He asked her.

Alicia frowned as he heard his questions. "Uuhhh…yes, yes it is," she said a bit suspiciously, turning to look at him fully. "There any reason you're bringing this up?"

Nihlus's mandibles twitched a bit, as he looked at the image again. "The galaxy is a dangerous place, commander. I wish to see if humanity is truly ready to handle the threats out there. If the Alliance is ready to defend itself against the dangers the rest of us face."

"Okay, I am confused now," Alicia said, as the door opened and Anderson entered.

"Perhaps it is time we fully explain what's going on here," Anderson said, making Alicia turn to him. "I'm sure by now you've guessed this is far more than just a shakedown run for our new ship."

"I had suspicions, as does pretty much the rest of the crew," Alicia said, arms crossed. "I'm guessing orders from brass are why we're being kept in the dark?"

Anderson nodded at Alicia's guess. "Correct. We're on a covert retrieval mission that concerns not just the Alliance, but the Council as well. Information has been on a strictly need to know basis, and as of this moment, you need to know," he said.

As Alicia nodded, Anderson continued. "Workers on Eden Prime recently excavated a piece of Prothean technology and a team of experts quickly moved in to study it. They're calling it a beacon. We've been assigned to retrieve the beacon and bring it to the Citadel where a joint team of experts will begin studying it for information. This is big Shepard, very big. The second to last time we uncovered something like this, the information we learned jumped humanity's technology forward by at least two hundred years. And I doubt I need to tell you how important the last discovery we made like this was."

Alicia chuckled softly. "Don't tell Naruto that. He'll get a big head if he's told him being discovered was on par to the finding of the Mars Archive," she said.

"The fact remains that we need to handle this quickly and carefully, hence why we're using the _Normandy_. Her stealth systems will allow us to pick up the beacon and be gone before anyone can take interest, such as pirates from the Terminus Systems," Anderson said.

"The beacon, however, is not the only reason I'm here," Nihlus said, stepping forward. "I'm here to evaluate your capabilities in the field, as a soldier and a leader. I wish to see if you are Spectre material."

Alicia's eyes widened at that, and she gaped for a few moments. "…well…I guess that explains why you've been following me around the past few days," she said finally. "So I'm being assessed as a possible Spectre candidate?"

"Correct. You were pretty much at the top of candidates from the Alliance military for recruitment into the Spectres. Your actions on Elysium and Torfan prove you have the potential capability to be a Spectre. Very few could rally people in those situations to not only fight, but to win. And fewer still could face the odds you have, and survive," Nihlus said.

"This is incredibly important for the Alliance. If we can get a human Spectre, it would show how far humanity has come since we first joined the galactic community. It'll be the first step towards humanity having a bigger role in shaping galactic policy," Anderson said, as Alicia grimaced slightly.

"So no pressure," she said. "It's just the fate of humanity's place in the galaxy."

"If what I've read about you is true, you'll rise to the occasion, commander," Nihlus said. "I wouldn't have put your name forward as a Spectre candidate or agreed to be your assessor if I thought otherwise. This will be the first of several missions we'll be working together, while I evaluate your skills, leadership, and mindset."

Alicia blinked at that. "Alright. I'll do my best not to let you or the Alliance down," she said.

Anderson gave a nod of understanding. "Alright then. When we reach Eden Prime, you'll lead the ground team to extract the beacon ASAP. Nihlus will be there to observe how you handle the situation. You'd best get to the hanger bay and-," he said, only for the comm to activate.

" _Captain, we've got a problem. Incoming distress call from Eden Prime! Time stamp shows lag of thirty minutes,_ " Joker reported, as Anderson frowned.

"Bring it up on screen here and standby for full burn," he said, turning to the holoscreen.

The idyllic image of Eden Prime was soon replaced by a shaky image from a helmet camera, as immediately the familiar sound of M-7 Lancers and M-15 Vindicators mixed with unfamiliar automatic weapons fire. Several energy explosions were going off, as a female marine was seen running to the cameraman, shoving them as they yelled ' _get_ _down'_. A moment later the spot they had been standing on erupted in another explosion, as the female marine got up, and started firing.

The cameraman managed to get back up, as another marine with officer bars on his armor quickly grabbed them, steadying the camera. " _We're under attack! Repeat, we are under heavy attack from an unknown enemy! They came out of nowhere! We need-!_ " He yelled, only to be cut off as an explosion nearby rocked both of them. Steadying himself, he continued the distress call. " _We need reinforcements or immediate evac! We've sustained heavy casualties and can't hold this position! Repeat, we need immediate-!_ "

This time, he was cut off by several rounds slamming into his armor's shielding, dropping them and piercing right through his armored plating like it wasn't there. The officer dropped to the ground, as the cameraman seemed to fall backwards, and started backing away from the corpse, as a loud rumbling and a deep, horn like blast seemed to fill the air. The sounds of weapon fire ceased, as the cameraman looked around, the camera focusing on a massive dark shape starting to fill the sky. Red lightning crackled across its surface, as five large mental tentacles slowly moved and waved as it descended, emitting the noises they heard.

Just as suddenly, the weapons fire began again, and the camera shook, indicating the operator was rising to his feet, and then started running, before the entire image became nothing but static.

" _That's the entire message sir. Everything cuts out after that. I've tried hailing Eden Prime, but I'm not getting any response at all,_ " Joker reported.

Anderson didn't respond, instead touching the holographic control panel of the holoscreen. "Reverse video and hold at time index 38.5," he ordered.

The video quickly rewound, stopping at the image of the massive metallic shape that had been descending. The trio stared at it, before Anderson spoke again. "How long before we reach Eden Prime?"

" _At full burn, seventeen minutes sir. We're the only Alliance ship in the area._ "

"Put the ship at general quarters, and take us in Joker. Fast and quiet. We'll be making ground drops near the beacon's location, and then moving to reinforce the main colony," Anderson ordered.

As the ship's alarm went off, calling the hands to their action stations, Anderson turned to Alicia. "Commander, I want you to take Lieutenant Alenko and Corporal Jenkins with you. You'll handle the beacon mission, while we move in to support the defense of the colony."

"A sound strategy, captain. A small team can move fast and quietly. I'll drop with them, moving on ahead to scout the terrain for them," Nihlus said.

Alicia nodded to Nihlus. "Appreciate it," she said, as Anderson nodded as well.

"Then get to the hanger and get suited up," Anderson said, as he turned and headed to the CIC.

Alicia brought up her omni-tool, activating the comm to reach her two squad mates. "Alenko, Jenkins, report to the hanger bay and suit up for full ground combat," Alicia ordered as she also headed out of the comm room, trailing behind Nihlus who was rapidly moving out.

The duo quickly headed down the stairs to the crew deck, and turned to enter the elevator that would take them to the hanger/engineering deck of the ship. Jenkins and Alenko soon joined them, as the door closed and the elevator descended, the door on the opposite side opening up into the hanger bay as the elevator stopped at the bottom. Nihlus moved off to one side to check his gear, as the trio of Alliance personnel moved to the equipment lockers that had their armor and weapons stored in them.

Jenkins soon was outfitted in the standard marine infantry armor, with an M-3 Predator clamped to his hip plate while he checked over his M-7 Lancer. Alenko's armor looked similar to Jenkin's, except for the small emitters mounted onto various points of the armor that helped generate the hard light 'tech armor' that Sentinel trained soldiers were famous/infamous for. Besides the standard M-3 Predator, he was also outfitted with an M-12 Locust Submachine Gun, a lightweight SMG designed by Kassa Fabrications for the Alliance, but made infamous in 2176 when a Locust was used to assassinate the United North American States President Enrique Aguilar, and the Chinese People's Federation premier Ying Xiong. Despite this black mark on its history, the Locust was a favorite of Alliance operatives and soldiers for use on high gravity worlds or discreet operations, due to its lightweight design and accuracy over a considerable distance, thanks to its 'floating bed' internal design that mitigated the weapon's recoil.

Alicia's armor, unlike Alenko and Jenkin's, had a significantly greater amount of armor plating and was charcoal black in color, with a red and white stripe running down the right arm from the pauldron to the gauntlet of her armor. On the right side of the breastplate was the N7 logo, identifying her as a full graduate of the ICT program. N7 armor, unlike the normal marine infantry or officer armor, was highly modular and adaptable, allowing operatives to tweak the pieces and modules in their armor to best benefit their mission and combat capabilities. In Alicia's case, she had chosen modules that increased the armor's shielding, as well as helped decrease the power buildup in her biotic implant, thus improving her ability to rapidly use and maintain her biotic techniques. The armor plating was also significantly stronger than normal, given the fact that as a Vanguard trained soldier, she was often on the frontline and in the thick of combat. However, the gauntlets were the most unique part of the armor, as they incorporated an extra little edge that Naruto had given her, as well as himself. Each gauntlet housed a retractable monomolecular edged blade that could be extended or retracted, with said blades being useful for stabbing or slashing with. Alicia found them to be quite effective when combined with her biotic charge, using the force of her charge to slam the blades straight through an opponent's shields and armor, and into their bodies with terrifying force.

She also carried the standard M-7 Lancer, but instead of the M-23 Katana or M-27 Scimitar shotguns, she now carried a different shotgun, the N7 Crusader. Unlike most shotguns, this one fired large solid slugs, giving it greater range, accuracy, and armor penetration, but reducing its effectiveness against multiple opponents at close range. Alicia found though that the weapon worked quite well for her, as she could easily pick off a single target with a combination of charge and shotgun, and then use a nova to clear out any surrounding enemies. And she liked the armor penetration and range it gave her.

Besides the N7 Crusader, she also carried a newer weapon developed for N7's, a new sidearm labeled the N7 Mustang. The weapon looked quite similar to a revolver from the old west, except bulkier. What was unique about the Mustang was that the weapon featured a revolving chamber that carried six mini thermal clips in it, rather than having one regular sized thermal clip. When the weapon fired, the chamber would revolve the currently heated thermal clip away from the cooling chamber as the next one was rotated into place, the action continuing each time the weapon was fired. This allowed for a steady, semi-automatic firing rate, which when combined with the punching power of the 'slugs' fired from the weapon, made it an incredibly deadly weapon that could be used to take out a group of lightly armored opponents in close quarters, or deliver several projectiles into an armored opponent, downing them quickly. The weapon did come with a safety feature that prevented it from being fired too rapidly, and thus allow the thermal clips time to cool as they were rotated, but said safety feature was capable of being disabled in desperate times, allowing the operator to 'fan the hammer' and deliver six extremely rapid shots, at the expense of overheating the weapon and forcing the operator to replace the thermal clips.

Finishing her armor and weapon check, Alicia made sure the breather mask was in place on her helmet, joining her two squad mates. "Alright, here's the mission. We're going to be dropping onto Eden Prime and moving to locate and extract a high value target. However, there are unknown hostiles on the planet. We do not know their composition, numbers, or intent, so eyes sharp and weapons ready. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," they both chorused. Alicia paused a she noticed Jenkins was tense, and turned to him.

"Jenkins, you alright?" she asked.

The corporal shifted a bit at her question. "Just excited and worried ma'am. This is my first combat drop, and Eden Prime is my home," he answered truthfully.

Alicia nodded in understanding as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I understand. If your family is down there, I'm sure they're safe," she said, as Nihlus soon moved to stand near them. Anderson soon exited off the elevator, and the trio stood to attention.

Anderson, not wasting any time, approached while raising his left arm, activating his omni-tool and bringing up a holographic display. "We've run a scan of the area leading to the dig site. The best path leading to the dig site is here, but it runs through some narrow defiles, perfect places for ambushes. There's a second path here, but it is too small for anything but a single person to traverse at a time."

"Then I should take that path," Nihlus said. "I can provide cover for Commander Shepard's group, as they take the wider path."

Alicia nodded as she looked at the path. "Sounds good to me sir."

Anderson nodded as he relayed written commands to the helm. "Alright then. Your team will need to move hard and fast. Get to the dig site, secure the beacon, and wait for us to return for extraction. We'll come and get you once we've ensured that the main colony is secure."

"What about survivors, captain?" Kaidan asked, having to shout as the alarms in the hanger bay went off, and the main door began to lower, allowing them to see the sky of Eden Prime, filled with smoke and turned orange by fires. If not for the force field in place, they likely would have been buffeted by a strong wind.

"If you can rescue survivors while heading to the beacon, do so, but the beacon is the primary objective!" Anderson shouted, as they could see the landscape drawing closer, and the ship slowing down.

" _Captain, we're approaching drop site one!_ " Joker reported over the comm.

As the ship prepared to stop, Anderson issued some final orders. "Maintain radio silence except beyond necessary transmissions between your team and Nihlus. He'll be your eyes and ears," Anderson ordered.

Nihlus nodded in understanding, drawing the shotgun from his waist clamp, and rushing to the open hanger door as the ship stopped. He quickly grabbed one of the rappelling lines, and easily slid down it to the ground, before quickly moving off. As the line was auto-retracted, the ship began to rise up and move forward to the next point.

As they ship again started to slow, the trio moved to the door, with Anderson nodding to them. "Good luck Commander!" He shouted.

"Yes sir!" Alicia shouted, as the ship maneuvered into position, and stopped. "Let's move it people!" She shouted, grabbing the rappelling line and sliding down, Jenkins and Kaidan quickly following on separate lines.

On the ground, Alicia quickly drew her Lancer, scanning the area, as Jenkins and Kaidan joined her, quickly drawing their own weapons. Standing in a triangle formation, they all swept the area, checking their HUD motion trackers for any signs of enemy. The only thing they did find was large floating organic creatures that looked like fleshy balloons.

"Clear," Jenkins reported, followed quickly by Kaidan.

"Clear. Nihlus, do you copy? We're on the ground and preparing to move out," Alicia reported to the Spectre.

" _Confirmed, Shepard. I'm making my way along the second route here. No signs of contacts, but I do hear weapons fire,_ " he reported.

"Copy that. Alright people, I'm setting the dig site's coordinates to your HUD compass. Jenkins, you'll take point. Kaidan, bring up the rear. We need to move fast, but be cautious. The last thing we want to do is run into an enemy ambush," she said.

"Copy that ma'am," Jenkins said, as he took the lead, clenching his assault rifle as they quickly began making their way towards a nearby cliff side. Off in the distance, they could see the large buildings of the colony, and the small flashes of weapons fire as defenders fought off whoever was attacking. However, there was also evidence of the conflict much closer to them, as they also came across two bodies, so badly burnt and scorched that their clothing and flesh had mostly been burned away, making them almost skeletal in their appearance.

Jenkins gagged over his comm at the sight, as Kaidan knelt next to the bodies. "Looks like some type of flash fire. They were likely dead before they even knew what happened," he said, checking the ground around them. "Looks like some type of fast burning incendiary device. There's scorch marks here from a fire, but it doesn't extend that far out, and none of the grass out to a certain point is even burned."

"I've never heard of that kind of weapon technology," Alicia said, as Kaidan shook his head.

"Neither have I ma'am. Whoever this enemy is, they're not using weapons or tech that is standard for most Council races, former or current. This is something new," Kaidan said.

"Alright, move out," she told Jenkins, who grimly nodded, trying not to look at the corpses, or the colony buildings under attack.

As they approached the cliff face, Jenkins held up his hand in a fist, and all three stopped and crouched, with Alicia moving up next to Jenkins. They were coming to a bend in the path, with rocks littering the ground ahead of them.

Alicia studied the land, before nodding. "Alright…move from cover to cover," she said quietly. "Jenkins, you move up the left side. Kaidan, you take the right. I'll take the center. Move from cover to cover, and don't advance till you see it's clear," she said.

The trio began to spread out in a line, moving to their respective sides of the path now, and began to leapfrog from cover to cover.

Jenkins had just moved clear of a large rock, and was heading for another one, when they heard the sound of some type of engine, and a pair of metallic drones appeared ahead of them from around another bend. The two drones locked onto Jenkins, who was in the open, and almost immediately the cannons mounted underneath opened up on him. Jenkins was barely able to let out a cry before the rapid fire cannons shattered his shields and ripped through his armor, dropping him.

"Bastards!" Alicia shouted, as she opened up with her Lancer, the rounds impacting one of the drones. Its shields sputtered and died off, and the rounds riddled the drone, causing it to explode. The other one turned to her, only to meet a similar fate as Kaidan's Locust riddled it with rounds.

Alicia quickly rushed over to Jenkins, dropping next to him and yanking the breather mask off his helmet. "Jenkins?! Answer me damnit!" She shouted, as Kaidan dropped next to her.

However, it was quickly apparent that Jenkins hadn't survived. The chest piece of his armor had been perforated, and blood was pooling out already. Kaidan connected to Jenkin's suit, and checked its sensors, before shaking his head. "Sorry commander. He's dead," Kaidan said softly.

Alicia just clenched a fist, growling softly. "Damnit…he's just a kid," she said quietly, head lowered. She remained like that for a few moments, before reaching forward and closing his eyes. "I'm sorry Jenkins," she whispered softly, before standing up. "…we'll give him a proper service after we're done here. Mark this location," she said, as she gently picked Jenkin's body up by the shoulders and dragged him to a more secure spot.

Kaidan, marking the spot in his suit's computer, turned now to regard the drones they had shot down. Both drones, outside of the bullet holes that riddled them, had very sleek, curved lines to their design, rather than being boxy or angular. They had a single glowing optical lens in front, and a single rapid fire cannon mounted on the underside of their chassis. Kaidan pried one open enough to pull out some of the circuitry and components for study, as Alicia joined him. "This stuff is definitely new to me, commander. I've never seen tech like this, or in this configuration for. Whoever this is, they're definitely not using Council race tech," Kaidan commented.

Alicia nodded at his words, glancing ahead. "We need to keep moving. Keep your eyes open lieutenant. I don't want any more casualties. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Kaidan said, as they advanced forward, finding themselves now approaching a small clump of trees. Alicia frowned as she switched from her assault rifle to her shotgun, preferring to have it while in the trees in case of ambush in such close quarters.

However, the small clump of trees proved to be empty, and they soon emerged, finding a small valley heading downwards. Alicia narrowed her eyes as she saw what looked like figures in the distance, and cursed a bit. "Wish we had a sniper with us. They'd be able to pick out who's down there," she muttered, switching back to her assault rifle while trying to zoom in with her helmet's optics. However, the zoom was not powerful enough to determine who or what the figures were.

Her attention was drawn away however by Kaidan pointing. "Commander, look there!" He shouted, as he pointed to a much closer figure that was moving carefully towards the group as well.

Alicia's gaze fell on the figure, and she nodded as she recognized the armor. "We've got a marine survivor. Let's try to link up with them, they can help us," she said, as the two began to rapidly head after the figure.

As they drew closer, they were able to make out that it was a woman, who had a Vindicator pulse rifle currently folded on her back, while in her hands she had an M-92 Mantis sniper rifle. She was lining up a shot on the group below when she stiffened, her motion tracker likely alerting her to nearby movement. She whirled, sniper rifle up, only to stop as she recognized that those approaching weren't enemies. She signaled them over quickly, turning back to the enemy group.

As Alicia and Kaidan reached her, the female marine nodded to them. "Sorry about that. Can't be too careful out here. Damn geth are everywhere," she muttered, making Alicia and Kaidan blink.

"Geth? The geth are the ones invading the colony?" Alicia asked, as the woman nodded.

"Yeah. Damn flashlight heads are swarming all over the place out here. They ambushed my squad and…well…let's just say there's not much of a squad left," she muttered softly, before turning her head to look at Alicia. "Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams of the 212th Battalion, 2nd Frontier Division," she said.

Alicia's eyes widened at that. "Williams? I know that name. You used to serve under my brother, back on Watson. Lieutenant Commander Alicia Shepard, of the Normandy. And that's Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko."

Ashley's brown eyes blinked in surprise behind her visor. "Really? You're Naruto's older sister?" She asked, before shaking her head. "Perhaps later ma'am. Right now, we've got a situation we should focus on."

"Right. Situation report sergeant," Alicia ordered.

"The trouble started last night, when we found Bravo Squad KIA. Able and Charlie were under attack as well. My squad, Dog, was on patrol, and we moved to help, but our ambush we set up turned against us. I've been trying to link up with the elements of the 232th Battalion at the encampment the researchers set up, not too far from where they found the beacon. I'm guessing that's why you're here," Ashley reported.

Alicia nodded at that. "Least we know who's trying to steal the beacon now. Geth. Can't believe it. They haven't been seen beyond the Perseus Veil for over three hundred years, since they rebelled against the quarians and drove them from their home world," Alicia said.

"Really wishing right now that the quarians had managed to nuke the synthetic bastards when they had the chance," Ashley growled out, as she looked through the scope of her sniper rifle. "There's a group of them between us and the dig site, and they're…wait…what are they doing?" She whispered, her voice growing horrified.

Alicia popped up, raising her Lancer to look through the scope on it, frowning as she was able to make out the group from earlier. She could make out what looked like a human civilian being held by two geth. The geth, being synthetics, had robotic bodies that looked similar to that of their Quarian creators, with reverse bent legs and tri digit hands. However, their heads consisted of an armored hood that covered a narrowed, forward jutting 'head', which largely consisted of a single glowing optical lens.

The two geth were placing the man on some type of tri-legged pod, with the man trying to struggling, and failing to get away from them. One of the geth reached out, and Alicia could see a small shock hit the man, who went limp, his body twitching as he now lay on top of the pod.

What happened next horrified the trio, as suddenly a massive spike shot up from inside the pod, impaling the man through the chest and dangling him in the air. The man let out a scream that was cut short by the lack of air in his pierced torso. And yet no blood seemed to be seeping out.

Alicia felt horror and rage fill her, as she pulled out her shotgun. "Ashley…you've got the one on the right," she said, as her biotics began to flare. Ashley just nodded, training her scope on her assigned target. With a loud report, the sniper rifle went off, causing the shields around the geth's armored head to flare. The synthetic soldier turned just as a second round went off, resulting in the shields shattering and the geth's head exploding in a shower of sparks and mech fluid.

The other one barely was able to turn before a blue comet of biotic energy struck him, quickly dissipating to reveal Alicia with the gauntlet blade of her left arm penetrating its shields and stabbing into its chest plate, followed by her bringing her shotgun to its chest and firing, the slug ripping through the torso of the geth and blowing out a goodly portion of its internal circuitry. She quickly retracted her blade and watched the bot slump over as Kaidan and Ashley joined her.

"Why the hell did they do that?!" Ashley demanded, trying not to look at the corpse now dangling above them. "Why the hell would they impale him like that?! Why not just shoot him?!"

"Calm down sergeant," Kaidan said, even though his voice held some anger in it as well. "We need to stay focused right now."

Ashley took a deep breath, before nodding. "Understood sir," she said, before pointing further down the valley. "The dig site and researchers' camp should be further down that way."

At that moment though, Alicia's comm crackled. " _Shepard, this is Nihlus. I'm overlooking the dig site, but there's no sign of the beacon here. I am seeing a lot of geth…with some strange devices. They're using them to impale victims. I'm not sure why._ "

Alicia touched the side of her helmet. "We just saw it here too. Took out two geth. We lost Jenkins to some drones, but picked up one of the surviving marines. If the beacon isn't at the dig site, maybe it is at the researcher's camp?"

" _It's possible. I can see it not too far off, but there's no clear way for me to reach it. I'll try to circle around and find a way to link up with you. Nihlus, out._ "

Alicia nodded as she ended the comm, trying to reign in her emotions as she turned to her two squad mates. "That was Nihlus. The beacon isn't at the dig site, so we're going to head for the researchers' camp. He'll try to meet up with us there. There are geth ahead of us though, so be ready for a fight," she said.

"Yes ma'am!" They both said.

As they started to move out, Ashley looked to Kaidan. "Nihlus? Who's that?" She asked quietly.

"He's a turian Spectre, who's here as part of the mission to retrieve the beacon. He took a different route to help scout out ahead for us," Kaidan said, as Ashley nodded.

They made their way further down the valley, until Alicia held up a hand for them to stop, and pointed to some rocks big enough for them to take cover behind. Once in cover, the trio peeked over the rocks, scanning the area below.

They could see the excavation site, where the beacon had been located. There had been some ruins there, consisting of a small arena with a pedestal in the center, where the beacon likely had been placed. Now though, it was empty, save for six geth and a few more of those spikes. Alicia's eyes hardened as she noticed that on two of the spikes were Alliance marines.

Scanning the geth's position, she quietly nodded. "Alright…Alenko, throw down a singularity on the group of them. Capture them and I'll hit them with a throw. Williams, target the ones on the far left and right. They're too far out to be affected by the singularity. Understood?"

The two marines next to her nodded, as Ashley brought her Mantis back up, and adjusted the scope, sighting the first target. She quietly aimed, before firing her first shot, rapidly trying to settle the rifle to get her second shot off.

Below, the geth suddenly found one of their numbers dropping as two loud cracks ripped through the air. Another two loud reports resulted in a second geth dropping, this one on the opposite side from them.

Kaidan, seeing them distracted after the first of their group went down, quickly popped up, his biotics flaring as he launched the singularity towards them. He quickly ducked back down, but not before his shields had flared from a few hits from one of the geth spotting his movement and swinging around to fire. It hardly mattered though, as three of the four geth were captured in the singularity, with Alicia raising up and tossing out a biotic throw, the blue mass of dark energy slamming into the singularity and causing it to become unstable, erupting in a massive explosion of molecular destroying dark energy. The three geth trapped inside the singularity were disintegrated, leaving nothing behind, while the fourth one was thrown off to the side by the explosion. It had quickly returned to its feet, only to be riddled by rapid fire from all three of the Alliance soldiers, leaving a smoking and sparking pile of circuits.

"Good work people! Let's move!" Alicia said, hopping over the cover with Lancer drawn again. Kaidan and Ashley quickly followed, the trio passing through the empty dig site and quickly moving up the hill towards where the researcher's camp was located.

However, they soon found that the camp had fared no better than the rest of Eden Prime so far. There were three buildings, and a few large pieces of research and digging equipment, as well as some vehicles. The equipment and vehicles had been moved to form a defensive barrier, but that barrier had been trashed, the equipment tossed aside and one of the vehicles a burning wreck. One of the three buildings was also on fire and in shambles. However, they saw no sign of the beacon.

There were, however, several marine corpses on the ground, their armor riddled with holes, with one's helmet having a large hole in the center of the visor. There were also a couple of civilians dressed in scientist coats lying near the burning and destroyed building.

Ashley let out a soft growl. "Damnit…how in the hell did they tear through here so fast?! There had to be twenty marines stationed here!"

"I don't know. Start searching for survivors and-," Alicia started to command, only to be stopped as they heard a groaning noise, of metal grinding against metal.

Near one edge of the camp was at least ten more of the large spikes the geth had used earlier, each one deployed, and with a corpse hanging off of it. Now though, the metal spikes began to retract back into the pod, bringing with it the body that was impaled on said spike. The first one fully retracted, the spike being pulled out of the corpse, which slid off the pod.

And then, as if out of a horror film, the corpse stood up, giving them their first good look at it, and seeing that it clearly wasn't human anymore. The body was still humanoid in appearance, but the skin now looked like some type of organic metal, with lights and tubing running over parts of it, disappearing into different parts of the body. In the center of the chest was a hole where the spike had pierced it, yet this didn't seem to impair the creature in any way. The eyes now glowed with blue energy, no longer organic, but now cybernetic. The creature let out a groan, one tinged with metallic notes as it at first started to shuffle, and then broke into a shambling run as it came towards them, still releasing that half organic, half cybernetic groan and growl.

As one, the three of them raised their weapons, opening up on the shambling cyber-corpse, their bullets ripping through the body and dropping it where it stood. And yet the other spikes were also dropping as well, bringing with them more cyber-corpses.

"They're creating fucking cyber-zombies?! What is this, a B horror movie?!" Alicia shouted, as the corpses began to get up. "Alenko, singularity! I'll throw out a shockwave when they're trapped! Williams, pick off the stragglers and let me and the lieutenant handle the rest!" Alicia shouted, as Kaidan threw out the singularity.

The walking dead walked right into the singularity, apparently having no idea it was there, or having no feelings of self preservation. As they were yanked off their feet into the swirling energy that held them in place, Alicia launched the shockwave at it, the blasts of biotics energy cascading towards the singularity, and blowing the zombies within off in various directions. Some were killed from the concussive force slamming into them, while others were killed by impacting into objects with enough force to break critical parts of their body that allowed them to function. A few however got back up, and started shuffling towards them again.

Alicia quickly brought up her Lancer, opening up on the stragglers, the rapid roar of the Lancer mixing with the lighter cracks of Kaidan's Locust and the three round barks of Ashley's Vindicator. The cyber-zombies kept shuffling forward through the hail of gunfire, even as limbs were shot and damaged, rendering them useless. But the rapid rounds took their toll, and soon enough all the cyber zombies were on the ground, twitching and sparking, but no longer functional.

Alicia panted softly, popping the thermal clip from her weapon and slotting a new one in, seeing Ashley and Kaidan do the same. "Okay… so we're facing killer robots and cyber-zombies…somehow this feels like some weird sci-fi nerd's fanfic or something," she said.

Kaidan was frowning as he looked at the now again dead corpses. "Why are they doing this though?" He asked. "What's the point of creating these…these husks?" He asked. "They're terrifying and demoralizing, but they're not exactly…durable," he added.

"Who knows what the hell is going on in some computer's head," Ashley muttered, glaring at the corpses. "Probably some weird experiment."

"Well whatever the reason, we'll need to be ready if there are more. You two start sweeping the camp for any sign of survivors or where the beacon might be. I'll try to contact Nihlus," she said, as she turned to her comm. "Nihlus, do you copy? This is Shepard, over," she said.

There was a few moments of silence, and then Nihlus responded. " _Commander, I heard a lot of weapons fire and explosions coming from the research camp. What's going on?_ "

"We've arrived at the camp, but it looks like we were too late. The geth already tore through here and took the beacon. Looks like they killed most of the marines and researchers here too. We've found out what those impaling spikes were for. They're using them to create some type of cyber-zombie. Highly aggressive, but not exactly durable. We managed to clear out ten here with little problems. Sweeping the camp for any survivors or information on the beacon."

" _Understood. I'm going to move on ahead then. There's some warehouses not too far from you're at, right next to a tram system. I'm going to investigate. Come meet up with me when you're finished. Nihlus, out._ "

"Roger," Alicia said, before cutting off the comm, and moving over to one of the corpses, making sure to get a get look at it. Her armor's camera system was currently recording, and she wanted to make sure to give it a good look at this thing for the debriefings later. After studying it, she flipped it over with her Lancer, examining the other side, before moving to one of the spikes. However, she was soon called away by Kaidan, who was at one of the two surviving buildings.

"Commander, we've got a locked door here. I can hack it, but we don't know what's on the other side," Kaidan said, as he brought up his omni-tool.

"Right, do it. Sergeant, get over here. Prepare to open fire if anything undead or robotic is on the other side," Alicia said, gripping her Lancer.

Ashley joined them, as Kaidan started to hack the door, only for a voice on the other side to interrupt. "Wait, are you human?! Are you soldiers?!" The voice, a female one, yelled out through the door.

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Alicia Shepard, of the _SSV Normandy_ , here with Lieutenant Alenko and Sergeant Williams. Who am I speaking to?" Alicia demanded back through the door.

"I-I'm Doctor Warren! Please, let me get the door opened," the voice said, as they heard some movement inside, and then the door opened up, revealing a woman with short auburn hair. From further within, a male voice spoke up.

"Hurry, inside, before they return!" The voice said, sounding unhinged.

The trio entered the building, finding a somewhat balding man wringing his hands, his eyes wildly shifting around, as Warren spoke. "Thank the Maker. We heard the gunfire, and thought perhaps geth were still around. But then I heard your voices and…well I'm glad to see humans."

Ashley nodded. "Doctor Warren, you were in charge of the excavation, right? What happened here?" She asked.

Warren fidgeted slightly, looking away. "The research team decided to move the beacon to the spaceport, figuring it would be easier for extraction. I had stayed behind with Dr. Manuel and a couple other researchers to start packing up our equipment, when the attack began. Before we knew it, those…robots were swarming over the area. The marines held them off long enough for me and Manuel to hide but…my assistants…they…we hid inside here, listening to the fighting…there was…there was screaming and…then nothing," she said, whispering the last few parts. "We've been hiding in here ever since and…well now you're here, so I guess we've been saved."

"Saved?! No one is saved! The age of mankind is over! Darkness and death approach!" Dr. Manuel suddenly shouted, his eyes bulging.

Alicia blinked, and looked at him. "Is…he okay?" She asked, a bit worried.

Warren nodded. "He's always been a bit…fragile, and I think this attack has shaken him up. I gave him some of his medicine to hopefully calm him down," she said.

"You do not understand! I have seen the truth! The darkness approaches, with its prophet leading its agents! He arrived, leading them!" Manuel shouted loudly.

Alicia frowned at that. "What do you mean? You saw someone?" She asked.

"Yes! Before we hid, I saw him! The leader of the agents of darkness! The turian will lead the destruction of us all!" he shouted.

Kaidan blinked at that. "A turian? Here?" He asked.

"What the hell is a turian doing here?" Ashley asked.

"Please, just ignore him. Manuel is not well," Warren said, as she guided her colleague to a cot nearby.

Alicia nodded quietly at her words. "I understand. I'm afraid we need to keep moving, so I'd suggest locking back up after we leave. We'll try to send someone to pick you up as soon as we can," she said, before turning to Ashley. "Williams, take us to the spaceport. The sooner we get to that beacon, the better," she muttered.

The trio left the building, and the door shut behind them, as Ashley frowned. "Do you think that guy was crazy? I mean he sounded like it, but still…why would he claim to see a turian with the geth?"

"You get many turians out here Williams?" Alicia asked, only for Ashley to shake her helmet.

"No ma'am. About the only visitors I've seen out here have been one or two asari. We don't have anything here to interest anyone except humans. At least, before the beacon that is," she said.

"Hmmm, maybe he mistook a geth for a turian. In all the confusion and chaos, it's possible," Kaidan suggested.

"Maybe," Alicia said, as she activated her comm. "Nihlus, this is Shepard. We've confirmed that the beacon was headed for the spaceport this morning. It's possibly still there."

" _Understood. It looks like there's a tram at the station we can use to head out that way. I'll be waiting here,_ " Nihlus reported, as Alicia nodded.

"Roger that. Out," she said, as they quickly got moving.

At the warehouses, Nihlus cut his comm, and hefted his shotgun, advancing towards the tram station nearby. Hearing movement though, he dropped into cover. Checking his own HUD's motion tracker, the turian Spectre noted movement, and gripping his shotgun, he came out around the corner, preparing to fire, only to stop and blink as he registered what was in front of him. "Saren? What are you doing here?" He asked.

Standing before him was a turian in gray armor, wearing no helmet, and instead having a cloth covering the back of his head and his head fringes. The turian turned to look at him, giving him a smile. "Nihlus…I was looking for you," he said, as he started to walk towards Nihlus. Nihlus blinked for a moment, as he swore he saw Saren's eyes glow blue for a second. "The Council thought you could use some help, given the importance of this mission. I landed not too far from here, and headed this way when I picked up your comm chatter."

Nihlus frowned, as that seemed off to him, but shook his helmeted head. "I'm glad for the assistance. The geth being here…well it's a complete shock. This situation is bad," he said, as Saren moved past him. Nihlus frowned as he saw some movement to his front, and stepped forward to get a better look.

"Don't worry Nihlus…I have everything under control," he heard Saren say from behind. And then there was a brief blinding pain, followed only by darkness. (3)

Alicia and her team were making good time towards the warehouse, having stopped to clear out some geth assaulting a small storage shed that some farmers had held up in. The farmers, part of a small smuggling ring, had been using a few of the weapons they had received from a contact at the docks to defend themselves. Normally Alicia would have turned them over to the authorities, but considering the current situation, she let it slide, instead directing the farmers to the research camp to hole up there with their weapons and Doctor Warren. They had agreed, heading off, while the trio continued on their way.

Ashley wasn't too happy though, seeing as how some of those supplies were meant for the marine garrison, feeling like the farmers were screwing over the soldiers assigned to defend them. But she let it go, seeing as how there was nothing to do about it right now.

The trio was rounding a bend, when Alicia stopped, her blue eyes widening behind her visor at what she saw. Kaidan and Ashley, who were behind her, both stopped, at first confused at what made their leader stop, and then comprehension followed by horror and stupefaction as they saw what Alicia was seeing.

At the bottom of the hill they were on was the warehouses, with a tramway exiting the warehouses and heading off to the somewhat distant spaceport. It was the massive object near the spaceport that had drawn their attention though. A massive, black, monolithic object, towering above the countryside, red energy arcing and crackling across parts of its surface. It was the spaceship that Alicia had seen in the distress call, only now she was seeing it in real life.

The ship looked like a giant robotic squid, standing on five massive metallic tentacles, its body standing up high, tapering to two massive points. Lights could be seen dimly blinking along lines of the ship, barely illuminating it.

The ship let out a thunderous, blaring, horn like blast, that even at the extreme distance they were from it, shook their bodies. They stood there, staring at it, before Kaidan finally spoke. "That is a really big ship," he said.

"Yeah…we were in a firefight with some of the geth when that thing came down…it was like a demon from hell," Ashley whispered quietly.

Alicia said nothing though, as she felt something clutching at her heart. It wasn't fear, but something else, something she couldn't describe. That ship…she didn't know how, or why, but she knew, somehow she knew, it was something that was going to affect her for the rest of her days.

Shaking her head, she looked down to the warehouse. "Let's move it people. Giant ass ship or not, we've got a job to do. Keep your eyes peeled for Nihlus, he should be here," she said, as she started to advance down the hill, Kaidan and Ashley behind her.

As they drew closer to the warehouse, Alicia held up a hand, eyes narrowing. She could see a couple of geth moving about, with several of those zombie creatures wandering aimlessly, their glowing blue eyes searching. Alicia frowned because she would have thought Nihlus would have cleared them out, or warned her about them. Using hand signs to point to some cover, the trio hunkered down, as she activated her comm. "Shepard to Nihlus, come in," she said.

Static was her only response and she frowned more, before speaking again. "Shepard to Nihlus, respond over," she said again, only to receive no communication. Cursing, she cut the comm. "Something's wrong here…alright, we'll need to take the geth down first, and concentrate on the zombies afterwards," she said, scanning where the enemy stood for ideas.

Ashley, who was doing the same with the scope on her Vindicator, stopped as she saw something. "Commander, there are some canisters down there with explosive material. The geth are practically on top of them. We could blow those first."

Alicia nodded at that. "Good work sergeant. They have computer controlled seals?" She asked.

"Affirmative commander," Ashley said, as Kaidan already figured out what Alicia was thinking.

"I can hack the seals commander, but I'll need to get a bit closer to be in range. You want me to move up?" He asked.

Alicia nodded at that, looking at the ground between them and the spaceport. "That group of rocks there. Is that in range?" She asked, pointing.

Kaidan took a look, and nodded. "It is. Give me cover," He said, as he slowly began to move out, while Alicia and Shepard both held their assault rifles at the ready, on overwatch for Kaidan.

The sentinel trained lieutenant quietly made his way down to the rock outcropping, doing his best to be stealthy. Unfortunately, as he neared his destination, his foot slipped on some loose rocks, which rolled down the hill, clattering as they hit the sides of a couple of stationary rock formations.

The zombie creatures slowly turned, hearing the noise, and one of them let out the unearthly screech, pointing towards Kaidan, who was barely able to duck into cover before the geth turned towards where their creations were pointing. Alicia cursed as she pointed to the zombies starting to shamble in Kaidan's direction. "Target them first! Leave the geth to Kaidan," she said, opening fire on the shambling horrors. Ashley did the same, both of them shredding the first couple of walking dead.

The two geth, hearing the weapons fire, turned from the rock formation their husks was assaulting, and focused on the two soldiers firing down from cover. Both raised their own assault rifles, and rapidly began pouring fire onto Alicia and Ashley's position, forcing them both into cover.

Alicia cursed as she nearly had gotten a face full of rock shards when one bullet had ripped into the rock in front of her, having barely ducked in time. "Kaidan, any time now would be great!" She shouted over her comm.

At his position, Kaidan grinned. "Prepare for fireworks commander," he responded back, tapping into his omni-tool and issuing final commands to the sealant computers on the explosive canisters. The computers, receiving the orders, began to overload, causing the material inside to heat up as the cooling systems that kept the material stable failed.

Soon enough, the two containers exploded behind the geth, who were still pouring consistent fire onto Ashley and Alicia's position. That fire was interrupted by both geth being thrown forward, flames licking their chassis and metal fragments pinging off their shields as the concussive force threw them both forward. A piece of shrapnel whipped passed them, piecing the back of one of the cyber zombies heads, causing it to drop like a rock.

Kaidan smirked, only to let out a yell of surprise as another of the husks crawled over the rock he was using for cover, roaring as it hurled itself at him and drove him to the ground. Grunting, he struggled and grappled with its arms, trying to get his feet underneath it to kick it off, as it struggled to bite at him, claw at him, even as its circuits started to glow, slowly building up some type of electrical aura around itself.

Sensing that whatever it was about to do wasn't good, Kaidan did the only thing he could think of. "Computer, verbal command! Tech Armor Detonation!"

His armor's computer, hearing his order, immediately sent the command to the tech armor modules, which initiated the detonation protocol. Sentinel tech armor, when either overwhelmed or ordered to detonate, would unleash an energy pulse upon detonation that staggered or threw back nearby enemies, giving the Sentinel some breathing room. It did, however, have the downside of draining shields to zero, forcing the operator to seek cover and give their shields a chance to recharge so they could reactivate their tech armor.

Now, as ordered, the tech armor modules unleashed a surge of energy, destroying his tech armor, but throwing the husk off of him and back over the rock. Scrabbling backwards, Kaidan drew his Predator, firing into the head of the zombie he blasted off of him, and running to rejoin Alicia and Ashley.

The other husks, which hadn't been killed already by Alicia and Ashley's weapons fire, or the explosion, surged up the hill after him, arms outstretched, the metallic moans and groans mixing with the weapons fire.

Alicia, seeing her Lancer about to overheat, dropped it, grabbing her shotgun and firing at the first husk in range. The slug ripped through the cyber creature's chest, causing it to drop instantly, as another one took its place. She fired into that one, this time blowing its head off, causing it to drop, eve as a third one rushed up behind them, almost on top of her. With a yell she shrouded her fist in biotic energy and slammed it into the creature, the biotic energy enhancing the potency of her punch and causing her to send the husk flying back, as she brought up her shotgun and finished it off. Next to her, Kaidan had charged up his omni-tool, unleashing a beam of electrical energy. Known as 'overload', the ability was a useful tech ability amongst tech minded soldiers that could overload shields, electrical equipment, weapons, and synthetic opponents such as drones and mechs.

Kaidan's overload struck one of the husks, and the creature immediately began to twitch and spasm, letting out an unearthly shriek as the electrical energy fried its circuits, causing it to fall over. Kaidan quickly shot another husk, as one tried to crawl over the rock that Ashley was using for cover, only to be blasted in the face by her Vindicator.

Alicia saw the last husk charging at her, and with a roar, she threw her left fist forward, the retractable blade in the upper part of the gauntlet shooting forward and stabbing the husk in the face. It hung there limply on her blade, till she retracted it, causing it to slump over. Panting, Alicia leaned a bit on the rock outcropping, checking her shotgun's readout, and seeing it was close to overheating too. Popping out the thermal clip, she slotted in a new one. "Sound off!" She ordered.

"Here ma'am!" Ashley shouted, putting a new clip into her Vindicator.

"Here ma'am," Kaidan said, removing his breather mask in order to drink one of the field energy drinks all biotics were given.

Alicia nodded as she removed her own breather mask, quickly grabbing one of her own drinks. Finishing it off, she replaced her mask, retrieved her Lancer and slotted a new thermal clip into it. "Alright people, we need to keep moving. These damn things delayed us for too long," she said, as she quickly headed down the hill towards the warehouses.

The trio quickly entered the area around the warehouses, slowly heading to the tram, as Alicia kept trying to raise Nihlus. Static continued to be her only response, causing her to frown. Where was the Spectre? Why wasn't he answering?

It would be Ashley who found the answer, as she rounded a corner of one of the containers, and stopped. "Commander? I've got a turian here. Looks KIA," she reported.

Alicia felt her blood freeze, as she and Kaidan quickly joined Ashley. As soon as her eyes landed on the armored body laying splayed on the ground, she cursed. "It's Nihlus," she said, approaching him.

Nihlus lay face down on the ground, arms thrown out, his helmet covered head tilted to one side. There was a quite visible bullet hole at the back of his helmet, with a second hole visible in the middle of his visor, the second hole being messier. A pool of dark blue blood was forming around his head, leaking out of his visor.

"Single shot," Kaidan said, examining the body. "Looks like he was shot from behind, in the back of the head, and the bullet went straight through."

Alicia shook her helm, as she was down on one knee, also looking Nihlus over. "This mission is just becoming one gigantic clusterfuck," she muttered, looking up to Kaidan. "First Jenkins, now Nihlus? This beacon damn well better be worth all this death and destruction."

Ashley, who had been standing nearby, suddenly turned with her rifle up. "Contact!" She shouted, causing Kaidan and Alicia to surge up to their feet, grabbing their weapons, all three detecting movement on their trackers.

"Wait, don't shoot! I'm human! I'm unarmed!" A voice shouted from behind a nearby crate. A human male wearing a skull cap peeked out. 'Please don't shoot me!"

"Come out with your hands up!" Alicia ordered, as the man did so, wearing regular civilian clothes. He hesitantly moved towards them, hands still up. "Williams, Alenko, keep an eye out," Alicia said, as she holstered her Mustang, the weapon she had grabbed when Ashley warned them.

"H-Hey, I'm not a threat. I was hiding, when I saw what happened here," the guy said, pointing to the turian.

Alicia frowned at that, as she stepped forward. "Who are you? And what did you see?" She asked.

"My name's Powell. I work here, offloading cargo to store in the warehouses," he said, rubbing his hands. "I was hiding behind some crates from those robots, and then I saw him. The turian," he said.

"Him?" Alicia asked, pointing to Nihlus, only for Powell to shake his head.

"No, not him. Another turian, wearing grey armor. Your turian there appeared, and was surprised to see him. Called him Saren. It sounded like they knew each other. The first turian, Saren, said something about the Council saying your turian there could use some help. Your turian lowered his guard and…and that Saren shot him. Right in the back of the head," he said, trembling a bit.

Alicia frowned heavily; glad her helmet cam was recording all this. The Council would definitely want evidence on who killed their agent. "Where did this Saren go?" She asked.

"He hopped onto the cargo train, probably took it out to where the beacon is," Powell said, frowning. "It's that damn beacons fault. First that mother ship pops up, and then all those robots swarm in, killing everyone! I'd be dead too if I wasn't behind the crates," he said.

Kaidan frowned when he heard that. "Wait, you were the only one who managed to get behind the crates? Why didn't anyone else try to hide here?"

Powell shuffled a bit. "They…didn't get a chance. I was behind the crates already when the attack started. I-it wasn't anything bad, I just…sometimes, I need a little nap to get through my shift, that's all," he said.

Ashley scoffed at that. "You survived because you're lazy? Well that's a new one," she said.

Alicia nodded. "It probably saved your life. But this probably isn't the best place to be. We've cleared out most of the enemies between here and the researcher's camp, back up the ridge. If you head that way, you can link up with some other survivors."

Powell nodded, before looking off to the side. "Look ummm…I…I maybe have some gear here you could use," he said, as he retreated behind the crate, and soon returned with a container. Opening it, he revealed a number of grenades. "I ummm…found these while I was hiding. You can probably use them more then I can, and-," he said, only for Ashley to glare as realization struck her.

"You're part of that damn smuggling ring that was stealing munitions! We're busy risking our lives to protect you and you're stealing from us?!" She shouted angrily, stepping forward with one fist clenched, as Powell recoiled, throwing his hands up.

Alicia placed a hand on Ashley's shoulder. "Easy there Williams," she said, looking to Powell. "A lot of marines died who could have made use of some of the stuff you've stolen," she said, as Powell looked away.

"L-Look, I-I didn't know they'd need it. This place is peaceful! How were we supposed to know that there was going to be an attack," he tried to explain, but faltered at the angry look Ashley still had.

"Maybe, but still. I'm going to let you go, because we've got more important things to do, but you better make this right Powell," Alicia said, as she picked up the container of the grenades. "Marines and sailors fight and sometimes die to protect you Powell. They deserve better than to have their equipment stolen for an extra credit."

Powell looked down, shuddering. "…y-you're right…I…I didn't think it would hurt anyone…b-but…I-I'll make it up! I swear!" He said, looking up.

Alicia nodded. "Make sure you do," she said, before turning to her squad mates. "Everyone grab some grenades. Never know when they'll come in handy," she said, as the pair quickly grabbed a few of the disc shaped explosives. She quickly grabbed the remainder, dropping the container and pulling out her Lancer. "Alright, let's move out!" She said.

As the trio left Powell behind, Ashley growled softly. "I still can't believe you're just letting him like that!" She said angrily.

Alicia glanced back at her. "There's not a lot I can do right now Williams. We can't take him with us, we have nothing to lock him up with. Rest assured that I'll report his actions when the mission is done. But if he shows he's willing to make things right, he deserves that chance."

Ashley just growled again, as they made their way over to the tramway. It was a long magnetic railway, leaving the warehouse and heading off to where the main spaceport was. As they neared the station, there saw there was a cargo tram present, simply a series of open platforms with retractable guardrails and magnetic securing clamps. Each section could be separated from each other, to create smaller trams for cargo if need be.

Unfortunately, the tram was not unoccupied. They could make out a few geth on the tram, at least three of the normal soldiers they had encountered, and one massive geth, almost twice the size of the other ones. It also had three optical lights on its 'face', rather than one.

"Okay…what the hell is that? Alicia asked, staring at it. "Now we've got super geth or something?"

"I don't know, but it definitely looks like a pain to fight," Ashley said.

The geth, seeing them, began pointing, those strange beeping and clicking noises audible even over the distance between them. The large one, painted a deep red, pointed towards them with one servo while carrying one very large nasty cannon in the other. The three other geth began rushing towards the ramp to exit from the tram onto the station.

"We need to find cover! Pick off the smaller ones first!" Alicia shouted, diving behind some crates. Ashley and Kaidan did as well, as weapons fire began tearing into their cover. The trio of smaller geth approached, all firing their assault rifles, which rapidly fired superheated rounds at them.

Alicia glanced up for a brief moment, before dropping back down, pointing to Ashley. "Sergeant, put a grenade right in the middle of them! Alenko, covering fire!" She shouted.

As she and Kaidan popped up, firing at the geth, Ashley grabbed one of the grenades they got from Powell, priming it. Popping up she tossed the disc as it started beeping, ducking back down to avoid return fire.

The disc landed in the center of the group of geth, who glanced down at it. They had only just processed what it was, and attempted to jump away, as the grenade exploded, with fire and shrapnel ripping through the air. The geth were thrown away by the explosion, one of them with a leg ripped off, another perforated by shrapnel and debris. The mostly uninjured one started to get up, only to be yanked into the air as Kaidan nailed it with a biotic 'pull' causing it to float in the air towards them. Alicia grinned as she pulled out her shotgun.

"Skeet shooting!" She shouted as she shot the hapless geth, causing it to spark and sputter as its optical unit died out. The shrapnel ridden one was also dead, but the one that lost a leg was starting to crawl towards them, until Ashley fired two bursts, the first burst dropping its shields and the second one blowing its head off.

Alicia turned her head to the much larger geth, which had simply been watching. Now it let out a loud metallic 'roar' like noise, stomping towards them with its cannon aimed at them. "I think we pissed off the big one!" She shouted, drawing her Lancer and firing at it, only to curse as she saw its shields were holding.

Ashley and Kaidan also turned their fire on it, but the shields around this larger geth were not dropping as fast as its counterparts had, as its cannon charged up, and fired a large bolt of energy at them. Alicia barely ducked as the energy blast ripping into her cover, tearing the crate in half. Kaidan tapped into his omni-tool, charging an overload ad firing the electrical blast at the geth, causing it to stagger and its shields to flare and fluctuate.

"Good work lieutenant!" Alicia shouted, popping up and throwing her own grenade at the hulking metal beast. The grenade exploded at the giant geth's feet, shrouding it in fire and smoke, only for it to step clear, its chassis streaked with smoke and ash, and a few pieces of shrapnel lodged in it, but otherwise intact. It responded by firing a second blast, which ripped through Ashley and Kaidan's cover, sending them both flying. Kaidan's tech armor protected him from any additional damage, but Ashley let out a cry of pain, as Alicia saw on her HUD's monitor that Ashley's vitals spiked and were now slightly erratic.

"Alenko, take care of Williams!" Alicia shouted, as she drew her shotgun, charging her biotics. With a yell she unleashed her charge, slamming into the giant geth, only to blink as the aura of biotics faded and the geth was still standing, though it had been staggered. She quickly brought up her shotgun, pumping a round into its chest and causing it to stagger back as the round slammed into it, penetrating its armored plating, but not bringing it down. She prepared to fire a second round, only for one massive arm to sweep down and knock the shotgun from her hand, before the cannon followed and sent her flying.

Alicia hit the ground; letting out an 'oof' and feeling like her ribs had been cracked, as the metallic beast stomped towards her. She growled in pain, drawing her Mustang, as she got to her feet. "Okay…round two buddy," she said, as she prepared another biotic charge. With a yell, she again slammed into it, only this time she drove the blades of her left gauntlet into the geth's chest, staggering it again. Using her feet to gain leverage on the thing's knee joints, she brought the Mustang up, yelling as she pumped round after round into the things head, reducing it to broken circuits and metal. She barely was able to release her blade and jump away as the entire metal behemoth fell over dead.

Panting, she clutched her mid-section with one arm as she holstered her Mustang with the other, groaning as she found her Crusader shotgun and bent over to pick it up. "Oh yeah. That's going to be sore tomorrow," she said, as she moved over to where Kaidan was helping Ashley to her feet. "Status?" She asked.

"Williams is fine. She landed hard on her back and it jarred some scar tissue there," Kaidan said, as Ashley gingerly rubbed her back.

"Old war wound. You should ask your brother about it when you can, commander," Ashley said, looking at her. "You don't look so good there, skipper."

"Oh, just a little love tap," Alicia said with a half grin, half grimace. "Though I wouldn't mind Kaidan giving me an assessment," she added.

Kaidan quickly moved over to her, scanning her mid-section. "You bruised a couple of ribs there. Nothing life threatening at the moment," he said. "Definitely should use some medi-gel though."

Alicia nodded as she activated her suits internal systems, letting out a small sigh of relief as she activated the medi-gel dispenser, and felt her armor automatically distribute some of the stored medicine to her midsection. "That's better," she murmured, standing up straighter now. "Well that was certainly a fight for the history books. But let's celebrate later. We're almost done with this shit storm of a mission," she said.

With nods from her two squad mates, Alicia moved to the tram, and the trio headed to the front car. Kaidan quickly de-coupled the front section as Alicia accessed the controls, and the trio was on their way.

At the spaceport, Saren moved quickly past some of the geth, stopping at one. "I want you to set the device there and prepare it for detonation. It should wipe out the entire colony, and any evidence we were here along with it," he ordered, as the geth simply turned, a couple other units joining it as they moved to a massive crate, and began unloading it. Saren turned his now glowing eyes towards a tall thin antenna like device that glowed and pulsed softly with green energy. He approached it, opening his arms wide as he felt the energy reach out, touching him, and soon lifting him into the air.

Two of the geth nearby simply stood guard, watching as Saren was enveloped by the energy, hovering in the air for several moments, before he dropped back down. He stood there for a few seconds, shaking his head and holding it in one hand, before straightening up. Turning to them, he nodded. "Let's move," he ordered brusquely, as he quickly stepped past them, the two of them and every other idle geth falling in line behind him as they got onto a large transport ship, similar to a wingless and legless insect in appearance, and flew off back towards the massive ship.

Alicia frowned as she watched the spaceport drawing near, as she saw the massive giant spaceship, now much closer, start to rise up and take off. "Looks like they're bugging out!" She shouted to her squad mates.

"Do you think they took the beacon?" Kaidan asked worriedly, as Alicia focused on the spaceport.

"Only one way to find out," she said, as their small car arrived. The trio quickly piled out, taking cover in case there were any enemies nearby. Yet there wasn't any movement, no enemy fire, nothing.

Alicia frowned, as she slowly stood up. "Okay…that was unexpected," she said, as the others stood up as well.

"Maybe we caught a break," Ashley commented, glancing around.

"I hope so," Alicia muttered. "Kaidan, can you tap into the security network here and try to find the beacon?"

"One moment," Kaidan said, as he moved to a nearby terminal and started connecting to it. He frowned as he tapped into the computer systems. "A lot of the security systems are shot but…I've still got surveillance. Pulling it up," he said.

Above his omni-tool, a holographic screen displayed a part of the spaceport. Kaidan began to flip through the different cameras, a couple of which were offline. He stopped however as he came across one image. "Here, I think this is it at the main landing pad…but there's something else there," he said with a frown. "Some type of large device."

"What was that about a break?" Alicia asked with a weary sigh, as Kaidan cut the connection. "Let's move out," she ordered.

The trio quickly moved to the main landing pad area, finding no enemies at all. What they did find though made all three of them sweat with fear and dread.

Kaidan was scanning the van sized device that was sitting in a cradle. "I can't believe this…commander, if I'm reading this correctly…this is a fifty-megaton nuclear explosive," he reported, as he carefully examined the readouts he had hacked into it.

Alicia just stared. "…talk about overkill," she muttered, looking at the device. "Can you disarm it?"

"…I think I can. The arming device is pretty well protected by an advanced security system, but the main and backup power systems are more open to intrusion. I'll have this thing deactivated in four minutes and twenty-three seconds," he said.

Ashley blinked at that. "Why that time?" She asked.

"Because in four minutes and twenty four seconds this thing will explode," Kaidan responded, rapidly typing on his omni-tool.

Alicia took a deep breath at that. "…good to know," she said, staring at the explosive device that could very well end her life.

In fact, it took Kaidan a little over two minutes to finish accessing the power systems. "Okay…unfortunately, there is a failsafe. We'll need to manually disable the power systems at the same time I'm disabling the commands," he said. "The main power manual control should be on the far side of the device, while the backup control is on the left side there," he said, pointing them out.

Alicia nodded. "Right. Williams, the backup power control. I'll take the main one. Kaidan, the count is yours," she said, as she moved to the other side, as Ashley got into position.

Kaidan nodded, as they go into position. "Cutting power in three…two…one…now!"

As one, the trio disabled the power, and the device slowly whined down, eventually going inert. Alicia let out a sigh of relief. "Please tell me we had time to spare," she said, coming out from behind the bomb.

"Does fifty-two seconds count as time to spare?" Ashley asked with a bit of a smirk, as Kaidan disconnected from the bomb.

"Smart-alec," Alicia said, as they turned to their prize. The Prothean beacon stood there, still glowing, as Alicia nodded. "Looks like the beacon is intact," she said, as she turned away, activating her comm. "Shepard to _Normandy_ , do you copy? _Normandy_ , please respond," she said.

Ashley frowned as she studied the beacon. "Huh…I wasn't expecting to see it glowing," she said, as she started to take a step forward. "Do you think they activated it?"

"They might have. Or maybe they've tampered with it," Kaidan said. "We should check it for any bombs or traps," he said.

"Copy that sir," Ashley said, now moving forward, only to stop as the beacon flared, and the energy pulsed. She let out a yelp as she felt herself being dragged forward, as if gripped by some invisible entity. "What the hell?!"

Alicia turned back to them, her eyes widening as she saw Ashley's predicament. Running forward, she grabbed Ashley, as did Kaidan, the pair pulling on her, as the beacon kept tugging back. Ashley was yelling, feeling herself pulled in two different directions.

Alicia growled, as she kept pulling her. "Let go you glowing piece of ancient space crap!" She yelled, giving a mighty pull and turning. Her tactic succeeded in yanking Ashley free and throwing her aside. Unfortunately, the beacon now latched onto Alicia, who let out a scream as she was pulled struggling into the air.

And then the scream stopped, her eyes going wide but unseeing, as through her mind flashed visions of death, destruction, horror, pain, fear, and despair. She hung there in the air, mouth open and gaping, as the beacon transmitted these images into her.

Kaidan and Ashley could only watch in horror as the beacon trembled and shook, the aura around it building, until with a sudden flash the aura exploded outward, and the beacon itself exploded, sending them flying, as well as Alicia. She crashed to the ground beyond them, rolling, and then laying there, completely unresponsive. Ashley and Kaidan rushed to her side, Ashley trying to wake her while Kaidan checked her vitals. But she simply lay there, eyes closed, her breathing shallow as her body twitched and jerked slightly.

 _Unknown ship, sometime later_

In space, the massive ship that had just invaded and now left Eden Prime flew silently through the void, like a great metallic predator on the hunt for prey. Inside the ship, Saren Arterius quietly sat in a chair, silently brooding over the images he had seen from the beacon. He didn't move at all as another person made their presence known behind him, as a feminine cough echoed through the room.

"Eden Prime was not destroyed, my lord," the figure, an asari in a horned headdress and long dark dress said in an elegant and cultured voice. "The humans were able to disable the bomb before it could detonate."

Saren didn't shift from his seat, as his voice echoed through the chamber. "And the beacon?"

"The reports we intercepted indicated that it was destroyed. However…one of the humans possibly accessed it before hand, and received the same visions you did, my lord," she reported.

Saren growled, slamming a fist down on the armrest of the chair, before roaring out angrily, the lights of the room seeming to flare in sync with his anger as he flipped the table in front of him, before rounding and grabbing the asari by her face, driving her into a wall. His face came close to hers', eyes glowing dangerous as his voice took on a quiet, silky, deadly quality. "This human must be eliminated. See that it is done," he snarled, before shoving her away, and stalking off to continue his brooding. He would not see his plans undone. Not by a lowly human, or the cowardly Council, or anyone. The Reapers would return, and by his hand.

* * *

 **Wow…I'm incredibly surprised at how rapidly I churned this chapter out, considering its size. Hope its quality matches its quantity.**

 **So yes, this is Eden Prime, the prologue mission for our dear Commander Shepard in the game. I hope you all enjoyed it. *nods***

 **Thank you to Kyuubi123 and a7xfanatic11 for their aid in betaing this chapter!**

 **Till next time, faithful readers!**

 **1\. To clarify, Naruto and Alicia are parts of different branches of the military, and as such, use different ranks. Naruto might be called a captain, but he's part of the Marines, and so his rank is equivalent to that of a Navy Lieutenant. So Alicia's rank is still higher.**

 **2\. This is a change I've made to the Normandy because I feel it is more realistic. Looking at the interior design, and the fact that supposedly, this ship has fifty crew members onboard, and only eight sleeping pods, I decided to expand the crew deck's design a bit. For those of you who have played the game, the officer quarters that I described are located behind that wall at the base of the stairs leading up to the CIC deck from the crew deck. I believe that there is ample room back there to add a couple of cabins that would be shared by senior officers, who realistically would have such cabins even on cramped warships.**

 **3\. SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! This here contains spoilers and is directed more towards actual Mass Effect fans who have played the games already. If you haven't, please ignore this unless you don't care about spoilers. SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!  
To you Mass Effect fans who have played the games, you'll probably be wondering why Saren isn't half robotic at this point, like he is in game. That is because I thought it was dumb for the Council to trust a guy who looked like he was half machine. Therefore, Saren at this point is still mostly turian, so as to keep up his façade as a loyal Spectre of the Council. **


	8. A Pilgrim in Need

**Well, glad a lot of you enjoyed the last chapter, and to those who did express concerns or dislike, I am sorry for that. I hope future chapters will be better, at least as much as I can make them.**

 **In response to the anonymous reviewer Guest Z, my reason for Naruto being a marine has to do with Malcolm Shepard, Alicia's dad and Naruto's adoptive father, being a marine. Naruto is following in his 'father's' footsteps, while Alicia is in the Navy, though that's mostly due to canon reasons. I hope that answers your question.**

 **So, now on to the next chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mass Effect. They are the products of Masashi Kishimoto and Bioware respectively. This is a nonprofit fanfic. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **A Pilgrim in Need**

Many of those who worked or visited the Presidium would consider the view that awaited them to be breathtaking. The entire central ring of the Citadel was kept pristine, with lush plants and gardens and the magnificent lake that ran along the center of the Presidium ring adding to the image of paradise. The artificial sky above displayed nothing but beautiful clear blue skies, finalizing the feel of a utopia.

Sadly, all this beauty was currently lost on Naruto Uzumaki Shepard, captain in the Alliance Marine Corps. The twenty-eight-year-old vulzan was sitting at one of the outdoor café's that dotted the Presidium, currently trying to enjoy a relaxing beverage. Sadly, the Presidium's beauty and the turian tea he had ordered had done nothing to calm him down.

It had been almost a full day since the attack on Eden Prime, and Naruto was on edge because of the debriefing he had received. All Alliance outposts, warships, and colonial garrisons had been put on full alert combat status almost immediately after confirmation of the attack on Eden Prime had been received, but the actual details relayed from the remains of the colony's garrison and from the _Normandy_ had been kept amongst Alliance command. The general information revealed was that the invasion was committed by geth forces, but had been repulsed by the colony garrison, though not without severe damage to the colony and serious loss of life both amongst the civilian population and military garrison.

Naruto and Hannah Shepard, however, had received a different brief that revealed more in-depth details, mostly concerning Alicia having been part of the ground side defense while on the shakedown run of the _Normandy_ , and had been left in an unconscious state. Hence why Naruto was incredibly on edge. Not only had the Alliance been attacked, but his sister was currently in a coma and he had no idea if or when she'd come out of it.

Naruto let out a tired sigh, as he checked his omni-tool for messages. After the events on the _Randolph's Folly_ , he had been forced to undergo regular psychiatric evaluations, while also taking lessons regarding both his biotic and emotional control from several specialists both in the Alliance and the Council races. All of this was to try and help him gain better control over his shroud should he use it in the future. He had also attempted to delve more into his genetic memories, following his subconscious instincts while training and practicing to help better his control of his shroud and his biotics, while meditating to try and gain more and more access to his memories, both to learn how to better control his abilities and to learn more about his culture.

However, his efforts to control the shroud didn't do anything to alleviate the fear he felt for it. He still could see the broken krogan lying bloody and beaten before him, the fleeing pirates begging for their lives as he killed them. In his nightmares, he'd see himself cutting down his friends and allies around him, with Alicia being the last to fall to his berserk rage. If it wasn't for Alicia and Hannah giving him support, listening to his fears and nightmares and encouraging his efforts, he most likely would have given up on ever using the shroud again.

Finding only a couple spam messages that he quickly erased, Naruto transferred a couple of credits for his drink into the café's account, and slowly stood, fixing the leather black and red striped leather N7 jacket he wore, with a dark orange shirt underneath it, as well as jeans, and boots. He quietly ran his hand through his spiky yellow hair, as he turned and started to make his way towards the nearest skycab station, intent on heading back to the apartment he was temporarily renting. He had been waiting on the Citadel for his next posting, ironically enough as the head of the Marine detachment onboard the _Normandy_. But with the recent attack on Eden Prime, it was very likely he might be transferred instead to one of the marine garrisons on a high value planet that the geth might potentially target.

He was nearing the skycar station, when his ears twitched and his head shot up. His blue eyes narrowed as he focused ahead, where he thought he heard both the sound of a suppressed bullet shot, and a feminine cry of surprise and pain. He frowned as he started to take a few steps in that direction, his suspicion growing when he saw three figures ahead rapidly moving in the same direction, as well as hearing an increased amount of yelling and confused chatter ahead. The three figures were a human, salarian, and turian, all dressed in the armor of Citadel Security, or C-Sec. However, what made Naruto suspicious was that the way they moved seemed off. Each one was armed with weapons similar to C-Sec security, but they didn't hold them with the ease that normal C-Sec officers had with their weapons. Not to mention that the human male in the group looked scruffier than most other human members of the Citadel Security force. His instincts were screaming that something was not right here, so he quickly followed, knowing that even if his suspicions weren't founded, he could offer assistance if it was needed.

Unfortunately, his progress was slowed by crowds of people quickly moving away from whatever was going on. The people made room for the three C-Sec officers, but quickly seemed to bunch up as they moved away, slowing Naruto down. He blinked and frowned as he smelled something on the air, something that smelled like blood, but was slightly different. He soon found the source, a small splatter of a blood, red like humans, but lighter in color. Seeing a small trail, he quickly followed that to its source. What he came to made him frown, as he saw the three C-Sec officers cornering a quarian against a wall. The quarian was hunched over slightly, gripping her left arm from which he could see a small stream of blood seeping out, staining her environmental suit.

The turian reached out, roughly grabbing her, and he could faintly hear his sneering voice as the quarian let out a cry of pain. "Got you now, suit-rat," he sneered. Naruto growled as he quickly moved forward.

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya whimpered in pain and fear, trying to staunch the blood from the gunshot wound on her left arm. The bullet that had hit her had grazed her, a superficial wound. But her enviro-suit was reporting it detected impurities inside her bloodstream from the wound, identifying them as traces of polonium radiation. Already, she was getting warnings about a fever starting to rise.

As she stared up at the three armored figures around her, she again quietly cursed her luck. Her Pilgrimage, her rite of passage to prove not only her adulthood in quarian society, but prove her worth to the Migrant Fleet, had been nothing but a disaster so far. She had left the Migrant Fleet, the roving flotilla of ships that housed almost the entirety of the quarian population in the Milky Way, in a small scout ship with three other quarians, heading towards the asari planet Ilium. She had hoped to find work there, or leads on interesting salvage she could bring back to the Fleet. Instead, the ship had detected geth on an unexplored planet, and not wanting to pass up this opportunity to learn more about their wayward creations that had driven their ancestors from their home, had moved in to investigate.

That had been the start of Tali's problems. The information she had gathered after ambushing and quickly accessing the hard drive of a lone geth had implicated the Spectre Saren Arterius as being part of an attack that had recently ransacked the human colony of Eden Prime. And mercenaries, most likely under his employ, had hounded the quarian ship to Ilium. Despite their urgent pleas, the port officials had stalled their small ship's landing for hours, in a clear display of the common prejudice against quarians, whom many people considered to be little more than vagrants and thieves. By the time their ship had landed, the mercenaries were able to ambush them on the ground, killing the crew and destroying the ship.

Tali however had been able to escape, and stow away on a transport ship bound for the Citadel. She had managed to evade capture from the crew, and slip onto the station once the ship docked. Getting by customs had been trickier, but after some deft hacking into their database, she managed to bypass that barrier, before rushing up to the Presidium to try and bring the information she found to the Council's attention, which was far easier said than done. It was next to impossible for normal citizens to speak to the Council, but for someone like her? Even as she pleaded with the clerk that barred her way that the information was vital, he simply denied her access, sneering and calling her 'suit-rat', one of the derogatory terms used for her people.

When he threatened to call C-Sec on her, she left, intending to find somewhere to hide until she could pass on the information safely. She had briefly entertained the idea of going to the human embassy, but decided against it, believing they'd ignore it too. She had been passing by a couple shops when the round came out of nowhere, grazing her arm and sending her spiraling to the ground. She hadn't had her barriers up, thinking she was safe in the Presidium with all the C-Sec officers present.

Yet it seemed her faith in the safety of the Presidium was not founded as she now found herself facing three thugs who were sneering at her. Just one glance let her know these weren't real C-Sec officers, as their armor was not only slightly scuffed and dirty, but older, outdated models. Though their attitude wasn't too far off from what she was coming to expect from most people on the Citadel. She mentally cursed the fact that she had been forced to leave her shotgun back at the Customs checkpoint, since firearms had to be held for twenty four hours for people entering the Wards, and were forbidden on the Presidium for all but C-Sec officers, Spectres, and embassy guards to carry.

The turian just smirked down at her, as he raised his pistol towards her. "It's too bad you chose to poke your nose into business that doesn't concern you. You might have lived longer. Any last words?" He asked, preparing to pull the trigger.

Mustering what little courage she had left, Tali looked up at him through the glass of her helmet. "Go fuck yourself, _bosh'tet_ ," she whispered, closing her eyes and waiting for the embrace of death.

Neither of them noticed the figure approaching, nor heard the human 'C-Sec officer' tell them to move along. However, they did hear the sudden yell of surprise that came from both him and the salarian, causing the turian to turn around.

Naruto hadn't stopped, even as the two thugs had started to raise their weapons. Instead, he suddenly shot forward, sweeping low with his arms and taking the thugs legs out from under them. The turian turned in time to see a rising Naruto drive his elbows into the back of both thugs heads as they fell, driving them into the ground and into unconsciousness. Seeing his partners knocked out, the turian swung his pistol around, only for Naruto to grab his arm, twisting the wrist while slamming his palm at the elbow joint. The force of the biotic enhanced blow snapped the turian's elbow, causing him to yell in pain and drop the pistol, which Naruto grabbed, spinning it to hold it by the barrel before pistol whipping him across the face, breaking one of the mandibles in the process and driving him to his knees. He knelt there, yelling and crying in pain, as Naruto now held the pistol normally, pointing it at the thug.

Tali, who had opened her eyes at the first sounds of struggle, could now only stare at this figure who stood before her, pointing the gun that had been about to end her life at the thug who had wielded it. She slowly took in his features, the somewhat shaggy and spiky blonde hair, the whiskers that gave his face a more feral like look, the slightly pointed ears. But what captivated her were the eyes: deep blue, with slit like pupils. She could only gape at him, even momentarily forgetting the pain in her arm as she took him in, standing there like some type of guardian angel.

Naruto glanced away from downed turian, taking in the quarian. He had seen a few before at some of the more outlying Alliance colonies he had been stationed at, where they had been working as mechanics at civilian ports or in smaller colonial towns. He was surprised to see this one was taller than any quarian he had seen before, though that still left her shorter than most other species. She was garbed in the standard envoi-suit he had seen them wear, hers with a purple patterned cloth hood and wrap going over her chest and around her waist and thighs. The glass visor of her helmet was tinted purple, but he could faintly see her nose and a pair of what seemed like silvery eyes peering out of it at him. He mentally shook his head, turning his attention back to the downed turian. "Alright. Here's how this is going to go. You're going to tell me what is going on here, and I'll see to it you get at least some consideration from C-Sec, before they book you for impersonation, assault, and who knows what else," he said.

The turian painfully laughed, before spitting at Naruto's feet. "Fuck you, human," he said, glaring up at him, only to blink as he took in Naruto's features.

Naruto chuckled a bit darkly as he crouched down, staring directly into the turian's eyes. "I think you just noticed I'm not exactly human. No, I'm their 'pet vulzan', as some of your species I've run into like to call me. I've been learning a lot about my people lately. How they lived, how they fought…and amusingly enough…how they got information out of unwilling people. It's all rather interesting. Perhaps you'd like for me to demonstrate?" He asked, giving him a grin that bared his slightly longer and sharper canines.

The turian flinched slightly, staring at the figure before him. He opened his mouth to speak, only for the side of his head to suddenly explode, blood splattering across the ground as he fell over dead.

Naruto's eyes shot open, before he whirled to face the direction the shot came from, throwing up a biotic barrier around him and the wounded quarian, blocking a second round that was aimed at him. His eyes narrowed, barely picking up movement on the other side of the lake that divided the Presidium, as a figure seemed to be rapidly moving. Naruto kept the barrier up however as he glanced back over his shoulder. "Are you alright?" He asked.

Tali blinked at him, shaking herself from her stupor. "Yes, I'm fine, other than being shot and poisoned," she snarked at him, the return of the pain souring her attitude a bit.

Naruto just turned back, checking for any sign of the sniper, but couldn't see any movement. His eyesight was better than the normal human, but even still it was hard to make out every person on the opposite side. "Can you hold on until we get down to the Wards? I know of a small free clinic near the upper part of Zakera Ward," he said, as lowered the barrier and turned, tearing off a portion of his shirt and turning it into a makeshift bandage for her arm.

"I guess we'll find out, won't we?" She groaned slightly. "I just hope you didn't add a bunch of germs to my wound when you did that," she said.

Naruto's only response was to suddenly sweep her up in his arms, making her yelp. "What do you think you're doing?!" She demanded.

"We'll get there faster if I carry you. Just trust me, okay?" He asked, as she just stared up at him, trying not to blush due to the gesture. "My name is Naruto, by the way, Naruto Uzumaki Shepard of the Alliance Marine Corps."

Tali just blinked at him, before speaking. "Tali…I'm Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

"Well Miss Zorah, we better get you some treatment, shan't we?" He asked, giving her a grin before rushing off, leaving one dead thug and two other unconscious mercenaries for C-Sec officers to find.

 _Normandy Sick Bay_

Alicia could only groan softly, as she felt herself returning to consciousness, and immediately wish that she wasn't. Her head was pounding and throbbing, making it hard to focus on anything. She didn't even want to open her eyes for fear that any light or movement would make it worse.

She heard some shuffling nearby, and a female voice speaking. "Hey doc, I think she's waking up!" The voice made Alicia groan again, slowly lifting an arm that felt like it weighed and ton, and gently rub her forehead.

"Gggaahhh, no more loud noise, make with the quiet," she mumbled, placing her hand over her eyes, before slowly opening them, giving her a moment to adjust. Slowly she moved her hand away, blinking as the lights around her seemed dimmer than they should be.

"Take it easy Shepard," spoke the comforting voice of Dr. Chakwas, as the _Normandy_ 's doctor came into view. Alicia winced as she felt a light sub-dermal injection, before the headache slightly subsided. "That should take care of the headache for the moment."

Alicia just nodded slightly, as she slowly began to push herself up. "Did someone get the number of the krogan that hit me? I wanna return the favor," she jokingly grumbled out, sitting up on the bed and slowly shifting her legs over the side, noting she was back in her fatigues.

"Well at least your sense of humor is intact," Chakwas said with a hint of amusement in her tone, before growing serious. "How are you feeling Shepard? And the truth," she said.

Alicia let out a sigh, rubbing her forehead. "Well, my forehead is still throbbing, and my back aches a bit. I'm assuming that I crashed into something after that Beacon started mentally scarring me," she said. "How long was I out?"

"Almost twenty four hours. I was forced to sedate you because you started screaming and thrashing," Chakwas said. "Whatever the beacon did to you must have been traumatizing."

"Makes me sort of glad you saved me," Ashley said from behind, before moving into view. She was also dressed in fatigues, her black hair pulled back into a bun. "Thank you for that by the way ma'am. And sorry for putting you into that mess in the first place. I should have held back, until we got some experts down there to examine it."

"Hey, we all survived, didn't we? Though my head would definitely not thank you for the headache I woke up with," Alicia said. "Besides, one of those experts probably would have set it off instead of you."

Ashley just gave a weak grin, her shoulders relaxing a bit, before the grin faded. "Well even still, I did cost us the beacon. It exploded shortly after it…it…what did it to you, ma'am?"

"First off, stop calling me ma'am, Williams. It makes me feel like some old librarian. Call me Alicia, Shepard, heck, call me by my rank if you have to," Alicia said, as Ashley chuckled a bit, looking slightly sheepish. "Just not ma'am. And as for what that beacon did to me, I'm not exactly sure. I saw…something. Like a vision or a dream."

"Hmmm…that would explain the unusual brain-wave readings the monitors picked up while you were unconscious. Can you describe what you saw?" Chakwas asked, grabbing a datapad to record down what Alicia told her.

"To be honest, I don't have a clue," Alicia said, frowning as she stood up, before leaning back slightly against the medical bed. "All I remember was a lot of death. And fear…and…maybe machines?" she said, closing her eyes, struggling to bring the memory back up in her mind, but failing. "I don't know," she said with a tired sigh.

Chakwas nodded as she noted that down. "I'll add to this my report on your condition. Unfortunately there isn't any information regarding how these beacons work, so we have no idea what this affect is. But I don't detect any mental degradation or damage to your brain, so you should be fine, provided you rest. Which I know you won't do, of course," she said, rolling her eyes while giving Alicia a knowing smile.

Alicia just sheepishly chuckled. "What can I say Doc? I don't like sitting around," she said, as the door opened and Anderson entered the room.

"Shepard, it's good to see you back on your feet," Anderson said, a hint of concern in his voice. "Are there any concerns or problems?"

"The Lieutenant Commander is in excellent shape, other than bruising along her back and a headache. She'll be perfectly fine," Chakwas said, as she moved over to her desk. "I'm just finishing my report now, Captain."

"That's good. I've just finished debriefing Lieutenant Alenko here, and now I need to hear your report, Commander," he said to Alicia. "Sergeant, Doctor, if you don't mind?"

"Understood sir," Ashley said, saluting, before leaving when Anderson returned her salute. Chakwas instead turned, entering the science lab connected to the infirmary, leaving Alicia and Anderson alone in the room.

"Are you sure you're okay Shepard? Whatever happened to you didn't sound good, considering you had to be sedated," Anderson said.

Alicia let out a slightly tired groan. "Well…you heard the Doc. Physically, I'm alright. But if I may be honest sir?"

"You may Alicia," he said, showing that he was allowing this to be more informal.

Alicia gave a nod, grateful for that, before speaking. "To be honest Anderson, I'm mostly just confused and angry at the moment. That mission was FUBAR, and I mean big time," she said. "Did we manage to recover Jenkins and Nihlus?"

"Yes. Both their bodies are currently onboard," he said, making Alicia nod quietly.

"That's good. At least we managed that," she said with a tired sigh. "The biggest problem I've got right now though is this…whatever in my head. This vision, this dream. I don't know what it is, but it…to be honest, what little I do remember seeing, it scared me," she said. "All I know for certain is that it involves a lot of death, and a lot of fear."

"I see. We should probably have you talk to a psychiatrist to make sure there isn't any trauma. Unfortunately, there's no time for that right now. We have other problems on our hands," Anderson said.

Alicia just gave a soft chuckle. "When do we not? I'm guessing the Council is not too please?"

"That's putting it mildly. This was supposed to be a simple mission, and now we have a dead Spectre, a lost Beacon, and geth making their first appearance in almost three hundred years. The Council…'requested' that we head to the Citadel at once for a formal debriefing," Anderson said. "They're going to want answers, and at the moment, you're the one who has them."

"I'll give them what answers I can, but to be honest, I'm almost as confused as they probably are," she said. "Still, it's best we lay everything on the table, especially if we're going to find out why the geth are invading and who this 'Saren' is," she said.

Anderson stiffened a bit at the mention of Saren. "That's actually another reason why I'm here," Anderson said. "I've debriefed both Lieutenant Alenko and Sergeant Williams, as well as reviewed the footage from your armor's recording systems. This Saren, the one implicated in killing Nihlus? He's most likely Saren Arterius, a turian Spectre. He's one of the best agents for the Council, practically a living legend. Which makes him a very dangerous enemy if he's gone rogue. More so for humanity, since he has a hatred for humanity."

Alicia frowned at the thought. "I don't think he went to Eden Prime just to kill humans. Why would he kill Nihlus, unless he wanted the Beacon?"

"If he was after the Beacon, it means he most likely has the information from it. Which means you're our only chance of figuring out what he is after," Anderson said. "We'll need to try and find a way for you to make heads or tails of that vision then."

"Sounds like a job for Naruto. He's been dealing with memories and visions a lot these past few years," Alicia said, smiling slightly at the thought of her brother. "I'll need to let him know I'm okay."

"You can do that as soon as we're done here. And you're right; he might be able to help make some sense of this vision. But we'll need to report this to the Council as well. It'll give them some clue as to what was in that Beacon," Anderson stated.

Alicia just scoffed. "Oh yes, I'm sure they'll be pleased that we can tell them the Beacon gives people incoherent nightmares," she said. "They'll be thrilled at that."

"We don't know for certain what was in that Beacon. It could be that all kinds of data was stored in there, and you're only able to remember or see a portion of it. The Council can perhaps point us to experts who can help unravel what you've found," Anderson said. "The sooner we know what you saw, the better. Because if Saren was on Eden Prime for the Beacon, it means he has that information too. And he might already have a way of deciphering it. We need to find out what he knows, and stop him, before he launches his next attack against humanity."

Alicia nodded as she stood up. "Well, that's a lot better reason for going after him then what I had. I wanted to find him and stomp his face into the ground for ruining my mission and killing NIhlus," she said with a wry grin, before getting serious. "You're right though, sir. He needs to be stopped. If he can go after Eden Prime, who knows where he'll strike next."

Anderson nodded in agreement. "It won't be easy. He's a Spectre, which gives him access to every sector of Council and Council affiliated space, as well as access to the resources at the Council's disposal. I've already forwarded a copy of the evidence from Eden Prime to Ambassador Udina, so that he can try to set up a hearing with the Council to try and get his Spectre status revoked at the very least. And we'll need to be there to give our testimonies, as well as debrief the Council on everything else that happened."

At that moment, the intercom buzzed, and Joker's voice was heard over the intercom. " _Captain, the relief force from Arcturus Station just arrived. They said we're free and clear to depart orbit_ ," the pilot reported.

"Alright Joker. I want you to plot a course for the Citadel and take us there as fast as possible. Anderson out," the captain said. "It's about time they arrived. We weren't exactly supplied to provide medical relief or garrison forces," he muttered, turning back to Alicia. "Get an all clear from Dr. Chakwas, and then rest up. We'll be at the Citadel in a few hours time, most likely. That's when the hard stuff begins."

"Yay, politics," Alicia said with sarcastic cheer, before straightening up. "Understood sir," she said, saluting him. Anderson returned the salute, before departing.

Alicia took a few moments to steady herself, feeling the medicine work on her headache, which was now a dull throb, and was mostly ignorable. She ventured over to the science lab, and after getting the okay from Chakwas, headed out of the infirmary, entering the mess hall area.

Several of the crew were present, discussing what had happened, a couple mournfully talking about Jenkins. Ashley was with a couple others, talking with them, probably about what had happened on the surface. As soon as they spotted Alicia, they immediately snapped to attention, saluting. "At ease everyone," she said, causing them to relax again. She nodded to a couple of them as she headed over to the kitchen area, grabbing a bottle of water.

"Good to see you on your feet Shepard," spoke Kaidan, as he joined her. "You had us all worried there."

The red haired vanguard just smiled at him. "I'm not that easy to put down," she said, opening the bottle of water. "How's the crew holding up?"

"They're all a bit shaken about what happened, especially with Jenkin's death. I think it's a wakeup call to some of the younger enlisted personnel, that death is something that happens easily in the Service," he said. "Still, they're happy to be only mourning one person, and not two."

Alicia nodded quietly, looking over the crew. "It's not easy, dealing with losing somebody under your command," she said softly, her mind drifting back to the battle of Elysium, and the battle of Torfan. She remembered the victories, but she could never forget the dead, those whom she had fought alongside, or commanded, but who hadn't made it. She let out a soft sigh, drinking some of the water. "The best we can do is push on and try harder, to try and prevent anyone else under our command from dying," she said.

Kaidan nodded at that. "Understood commander. Besides, while we might have lost Jenkins, and even Nihlus, it's good to think about how many people we saved at the colony."

Alicia just nodded, as she drank some more water. "Keep their spirits up lieutenant. I don't think this is going to be the last scrape we get into," she said, as she headed off towards her cabin.

"Aye-aye, ma'am," he said, as Alicia grumbled softly regarding the 'ma'am' part. As she entered her cabin, she let her face drop for a moment, as she moved to her bunk, sitting on it. She looked down at her hand, clenching it slightly before releasing it.

' _I'm sorry Jenkins…I wasn't good enough this time, and you paid for it,_ ' she thought, letting out a tired sigh, as she finished off the water, before setting aside. Getting up, she moved to her desk and the computer monitor there, which she activated. She had an e-mail to send, to let her brother and mom know she was okay.

 _Citadel Wards_

Naruto currently sat in the small waiting area of the small free clinic situated near the entrance between the Zakera Ward arm of the Citadel, and the Presidium. Naruto had found it a couple years ago after a night in one of the clubs in the Wards had led to a bit of 'roughhousing' with some of the locals, and he needed a place to patch himself up before returning to the Alliance housing complex. The doctor who ran it, a Dr. Chloe Michel, was happy to treat him, being discreet about his visit, and so Naruto stopped by every so often to help her out when he had some free time and was on the Citadel.

Now he glanced up, seeing her exit the main treatment area. She was a relatively young woman with short auburn hair and green eyes, wearing the standard medical uniform for humans and asari on the Citadel. She approached him as he stood, smiling slightly. "Our friend should be alright. I treated the gunshot wound and gave her a couple of boosters for her immunity system, as well as some anti-biotics to help purge the radiation from her system. She should make a full recovery," she said, her voice tinged by a French accent.

Naruto nodded, glad to hear that. It had been a couple of tense hours since the incident on the Presidium, and Naruto hadn't left the clinic, keeping an eye out for any other thugs. He gave her a grin, as he shook her head. "Knew you could patch her up Dr. Michel. You're quite the miracle worker."

"It was nothing, really," she said, waving off his compliment. "I've treated far worse in the past from bar brawls and gunfights. Though the radiation poisoning was a bit tricky," she admitted.

"Still, sounds like you did great work. How much for the treatment?" Naruto asked, bringing up his omni-tool, even as Michel tried to wave him off.

"No no, it's alright. You know I don't like charging people who genuinely need my help," she said, only for Naruto to shake his head.

"Doc, c'mon. You know you can use the extra credits to keep this place going. Even if you don't use it for yourself, you can donate it to charity or something," he said.

Michel rolled her eyes, sighing. "Fine fine. Two thousand credits for the full procedure," she said, as Naruto transferred the credits to her account. "You're too nice for your own good, you know that?" She asked.

Naruto chuckled at that. "Trust me Michel, if you had seen what I did to the guys who caused our friend's problem in the first place, you wouldn't say that. May I see her?" He asked.

"Yes. In fact, she was asking for you," she said, indicating the treatment area. "Go right in."

"Thanks again," Naruto said, as he moved back to the treatment area, where there were a series of medical beds set up in a row, each with a table for medical tools placed next to it. In the closest one sat the quarian girl, who seemed to be running a program on her omni-tool. She looked up as she heard him approached though, and shifted to face him.

"Hey there…umm…sorry for snapping at you earlier," she said sheepishly, glancing down a bit. "I wasn't exactly in the best of moods, you know. Kind of hard to be when you have people shooting at you and trying to kill you. So, thank you, for saving my life. And then getting me here, which also saved my life. Guess I owe you two, huh?"

Naruto grinned softly, finding it a bit funny and adorable how she seemed to be babbling a bit. He also noticed, despite the slight synthetic static created by her suit's speaker, that her voice was accented quite a bit, which he hadn't noticed before while he was busy focusing on the thugs, or getting her to the clinic. He just waved a hand towards her. "It was nothing, really. Don't worry about it. Though you could also thank me for paying the bill too for your stay here," he joked.

Tali however didn't seem to get it was a joke, as she stammered. "O-of course, thank you! I-I'll pay you back as soon as I get some money, I swear," she said, only for Naruto to blink.

"Whoa whoa, easy there. I was just joking," he said, as he moved to lean against the wall opposite of her bed, facing her. "I really don't need anything more than your gratitude, really. So don't worry about it."

She just nodded at that, shifting on her bed. "Well still…thank you," she said. "I really thought I was going to die there, until you came along and saved me. That was really quite impressive, how you just took them all out without a gun."

Naruto smiled at her compliment, before he grew a bit more serious. "Can you tell me why they were trying to kill you? Because I really can't believe that it was a simple mugging or kidnapping gone bad, all things considered," he said.

Tali hesitated for a moment, shifting on her bed. "I…found some information, that implicated a very important person in something bad," she said slowly. "And he knows about it, so he's doing his damndest to kill me before I give that information to someone."

"Must have been someone really big and important, if they managed to get assassins and mercs onto the Presidium like that," Naruto said. "Do you know who it is that's after you? And what could be so bad to call this kind of heat down onto you?"

The quarian girl shifted, tilting her helmeted head away. "I…I'm not really sure I should share the information with you. I mean…it could make you a target, like it's made me one. And…well you saved me, but I'm not sure if I can trust you with the information here. After all I've been through lately, I don't know who I can really trust anymore," she said. "I'm sorry if I sound ungrateful."

"No, I understand. Course you know if I was someone you couldn't trust, you've already let me know you've got information in general that was valuable. I could just overpower you and take it anyways. If I was that kind of person," Naruto reasoned, raising an eyebrow, and causing Tali's head to shoot up at him.

"Oh…yeah…I did do that, didn't I?" She asked, somehow looking sheepish simply through her shoulder and body movements. Naruto just chuckled softly, as he moved closer to the bed and crouched down, bringing himself closer to eye level.

"Hey don't worry, okay? I'm not that kind of person. Like I said earlier, I'm part of the Alliance military, a captain in the Marine Corps," he said, making her blink.

"You're a captain? You command a ship?" She asked, her eyes widening behind her mask. Naruto blinked, before shaking his head.

"Ah, no. In the Alliance Marines, a captain's rank is a few ranks lower than the captain's rank in the Navy. Not to mention that since I'm a Marine, I can't command a ship unless things have gone horribly wrong," he said with a chuckle.

Tali just giggled a bit at his reaction, as Naruto smiled. "Look, if you want, I could try and get you protection inside the human embassy. You'd be safe there, until you find somewhere safer to hide, or are ready to pass on the information to someone else. Though you know whoever is after you will probably keep coming for you even after the information is gone," he said.

Tali just sighed, shifting to a more comfortable position. "I know, but…three of my people have already died because of this information. At the very least, I owe it to them to make sure their deaths aren't in vain. But…if you think you can get me that protection…," she said a bit hopefully.

Naruto gave a slow nod at that. "Alright, I understand. And I'll see what I can do about it. Is there anything else you need in the meantime?"

"Dr. Michel already offered to get me some nutrient paste, so I should be good there. But…if you wouldn't mind maybe getting me a pistol or something? I'd really like something to protect myself with," she said, sounding worried still.

"You got it. What about your suit there?" He asked, pointing to the tear, which was currently covered by a disinfected gauze patch.

"I've already been working on converting some junk Dr. Michel had into a patch," she said, holding up the omni-tool. "It shouldn't take too long, and I can make the repair myself."

Naruto nodded. "Alright then. I'll be back with a pistol for you, and then I'll go see about getting you sanctuary in the human embassy. In the meantime, we should trade contact info so we can keep in contact."

Tali nodded, telling Naruto her omni-tool's comm frequency and e-mail address, and he did the same for her. With that done, he nodded. "You sit tight. I'll be back before you know it," he said, turning to leave.

"Okay…thank you again," she called out to him, receiving a wave in response. Once he was gone, she let out a sigh, sitting back and looking at her omni-tool, waiting for it to finish converting the junk into patch material. At that moment however, her message program dinged, making her blink, before accessing it. Finding a new e-mail, she accessed it, frowning as she began to read.

' _Miss Zorah, I understand you recently came into possession of very valuable and sensitive information. Information that my boss would find highly valuable. My name is Fist, and I work as an agent for the Shadow Broker. He has authorized me to make a deal with you in exchange for the information you have. My employer can offer you and, through you, the Migrant Fleet, valuable information and even items, in exchange for your cooperation. Please contact me as soon as possible to set up negotiations._ '

Tali frowned, as she read over the message again, before lowering the omni-tool. She wasn't entirely sue if she could trust this message, but she knew about the Shadow Broker, and if what the message said was true, not only would she be well protected, but she could even help out her people somehow. Quietly lying back in the bed, she stared up at the ceiling through her purple tinted mask, considering the pros and cons, and again wishing she had never found this information.

 _SSV Normandy_

Alicia grinned as she moved up to the helm of the Normandy, moving to stand behind Joker as the ship exited from the relay jump, and now maneuvered through the nebular cloud that shrouded the Citadel. Ashley had joined her, having never seen the Citadel before, and wanting to catch a glimpse of it as soon as it appeared through the smoky nebular gases.

And sure enough, there it was. As the Normandy slipped around a cloud of gas, the Citadel appeared in its monolithic glory, framed by the celestial light of the nebula's center. Ashley let out a gasp as she saw it. "Damn…I've seen vids of it, but it really doesn't compare to the real thing," she whispered, eyes locked on the slowly growing space station.

Alicia chuckled softly. "We've all been like that, seeing it for the first time in person. I think the only people not impressed by it are the ones who grew up on it," she said, her eyes roaming over the Citadel, and then the space around it. "And that is probably the biggest ship I've ever seen," she said, pointing to one of the ships dotting the space around the Citadel.

There were several transports and civilian ships dotting the space around and inside the Citadel, but there was also a somewhat large assortment of military vessels. Some of them were simply stopping at the Citadel to transfer personnel and gather supplies, but others were part of the Citadel Defense Fleet, a task force made up of largely ships from the Asari Republics and Turian Hierarchy, but with a few ships from the Salarian Union and Systems Alliance. The ship that Alicia was pointing to was the largest and most dominant ship currently patrolling near the Citadel.

It was a massive ship, far larger than the dreadnaughts used by the Alliance. The main hull of the ship was shaped almost like a massive delta-wing fighter, with an oval shaped hole running from the front through the central hull to the rear, giving them a clear view through to the space on the other side. A tall dorsal spire rose up above the ship, while a shorter ventral spire hung from below. The hull was a dark grayish blues, with lines of yellow lighting running along portions of the hull.

Ashley just gaped at the sight of that. "Look at the size of that ship! That has to be four times bigger than our dreadnaughts!"

"That is the _ARWV_ _Destiny Ascension_ , flagship of the Asari Republics and the Citadel Defense Fleet," Joker said from the helm. "Not to mention the most impractical ship I've ever seen. That thing has to be the biggest and easiest target in the galaxy to hit, outside of a moon or planet. Guarantee you I could fly rings around her while blindfolded," he said.

"And she could one-shot us, the dreadnaught behind us, and the space-station behind them with that main cannon," Alicia stated, grinning at Joker. "That speed won't do us much good if they hit us with that main gun."

Joker just grumbled, maneuvering the ship towards the Citadel, but slowing her down as he activated the communications network. "This is _SSV Normandy,_ designation Sierra-Romeo One, to Citadel Control Tower. Do you copy Control?"

After a few moments, a male voice spoke up. " _Normandy, this is Citadel Control Tower, we read you._ "

"Requesting approach vector and docking clearance for Alliance designated dock, Control. Over," Joker requested, waiting for the clearance.

After a few moments, the controller responded. " _Copy that Normandy. Approach vector is One-Zero-One, at half speed. You'll be handed over to Alliance Control Operator for docking bay assignment. Out._ "

"Roger that control. _Normandy_ out," Joker responded, before switching to internal comms. "Captain, we're on approach to the Citadel. ETA to docking, five minutes."

" _Thank you Joker. Shepard, I want you, Kaidan, and Williams ready to depart as soon as we've docked. We've been ordered to meet with Ambassador Udina,_ " Captain Anderson ordered.

"Copy that sir. I'll be sure to get on my Sunday best," Alicia responded, before the comm was shut off, and the ship accelerated slightly, heading in towards the Citadel, Joker expertly maneuvering the ship along the assigned approach vector.

Ashley could only stare in awe as they drew closer to the Citadel, and she began to see the true scope of the Citadel. Each of the massive five arms, the Wards, were lit up and alive with lights from the thousands of buildings dotting their inner surfaces, and lines of skycars could be seen traveling within the 'skyline' of each city sized Ward. Each ward had numerous force field generators that allowed them to create a pseudo atmosphere several meters above the surface to allow the people to walk around in simple clothing, as well as protect the citizens in each Ward from the vacuum of space, should a wall or window in a building be broken.

As they passed by the five massive Ward arms, a female voice identifying themselves as an Alliance Control Operator hailed them over the comm, directing them towards docking berth 442, as well as approach speed and path. Confirming the path and speed, Joker deftly slipped the ship sideways, as they passed by the massive central tower of the Citadel, which housed the Citadel Control Tower that directed all space traffic within the boundaries of Citadel space, as well as housed the Council chambers where the three Council members met and worked. The ship continued towards the Presidium Ring, maneuvering towards the docking areas designated for ships of the Systems Alliance, before slowing and maneuvering into position, passing through the force-field that protected the interior of docking berth 442. Soon enough, the ship was docked, as Joker powered down her engines.

Captain Anderson soon arrived at the airlock port behind the helm, where Kaidan, Ashley, and Alicia were waiting. Stopping for a moment, he reached over to a small terminal near the airlock, activating the ship-wide intercom. "This is Captain Anderson to all hands. We have successfully docked at the Citadel. Until further notice, all hands are given Shore Leave. However, I expect those assigned to Deck Watch to remain onboard until relieved. All crew will check the duty roster for their assigned Watch rotation. That is all," he said.

As the crew began talking excitedly about their plans onboard the Citadel, Anderson nodded to the trio by the airlock. "I'm having your armor and weapons transferred to temporary quarters on the Citadel. We don't know how long we'll be there, and Saren might try something against you three, so I want you to be prepared," he warned them. They all nodded in understanding, as he led them through the airlock, and onto the Citadel.

 _Human Embassy_

Naruto let out an annoyed sigh, rubbing his forehead as he listened to the human ambassador, Donnel Udina, speaking to the holographic images of Councilors Sparatus, Tevos, and Valern, the turian, asari, and salarian Councilors respectively. Though speaking was a polite term, as Naruto felt that the ambassador was closer to ranting towards the trio of Councilors.

"This is outrageous! Our colony was attacked by geth and you refuse to do anything?! Just last week you raised funds and sent supplies and rescue workers to help the turian colonists on Uresium, but you refuse to help us now?!" The ambassador ranted. He was about average height, with short gray hair that was balding and brown eyes, as well as a face that was line with age and stress.

Valern, in the hooded robes favored by salarian leaders and politicians, responded to him. " _That was a natural disaster, and the only support we sent was humanitarian. Support that we have already offered and begun sending to Eden Prime as well. What you are asking for is military aid in the Attican Traverse, an act that will lead to increased tensions with the Batarian Hegemony and the pirate bands of the Terminus Systems. The Council has no interest in sparking war with the batarians, or inviting pirate and slaver raids from the Terminus Systems,_ " he stated, arms crossed.

Tevos, attempting to be diplomatic, took over. " _Ambassador, you must understand that we cannot make decisions that affect all of us because of events that only affect one race. We cannot risk the wellbeing of other colony worlds for the safety of one race's colonies. Your people should understand the dangers of the Traverse by now, and be taking appropriate measures,_ " she reasoned.

Udina however was not calmed or chided by these words. "What about Saren!? You cannot ignore a rogue Spectre! Doesn't his involvement make this a Council matter?! I demand action for his attack on our colony!"

Sparatus growled, his holographic eyes narrowing at Udina. " _You have no authority to demand action, especially when we have no solid proof of your people's charges,_ " he snarled at Udina.

Tevos raised a hand, stopping any further outbursts. " _Ambassador, we are having C-Sec investigating the charges you have leveled against Saren, as well as reviewing the evidence presented to us from the ground team on Eden Prime. We'll discuss all of this at the hearing tomorrow, and decide then what course of action, if any, will be taken. Until then, this matter is closed,_ " she said, before closing the holographic communication.

Udina growled angrily, before turning away from the holographic emitters. As he stormed over to his desk, he glared at Naruto. "What is it you want, Captain Shepard. I'm busy," he snapped, having admitted Naruto into his office shortly before the call from the Council had come through.

Naruto sat down in one of the chairs before the ambassador's desk, before speaking. "I'd like to request political asylum for a quarian who was attacked by mercenaries on the Presidium. She apparently found out some very important information that someone doesn't want found out, and they-," he started to explain, only for Udina to curtly cut him off.

"Denied. We don't have time to play guardian for every stray who needs shelter. Besides, the attack on Eden Prime is far more important matter to deal with at the moment," Udina said, bringing his terminal online and starting to read whatever had appeared on the screen.

Naruto frowned as he leaned over. "Ambassador, wouldn't offering protection for those in need look good from the public's perspective? Help others, so that when the time comes, they help us back?" He reasoned.

"If people were that honest and naïve, yes. But the truth is most people will happily exploit you without a care about repaying you back. Not to mention we're in the middle of a crisis involving geth, and you want us to give sanctuary to someone from the race that built them? What kind of message do we send when we do something like that?" Udina asked.

"That we're calling in an expert on the geth so we can find a way to defeat them?" Naruto asked, as Udina paused, glancing up.

"…touché, captain. I'll think on it when I'm not so busy. I have more important things to worry about at the moment, like your sister jeopardizing humanities chances of joining the Spectres," he said.

Naruto growled softly, feeling his anger boil beneath the surface as he clenched a fist, his eyes gaining a slight purple tint, making Udina hesitate for a moment. Before he could attempt to resolve the situation however, the intercom on his desk buzzed. "What is it?" He spoke into it.

" _Ambassador, the group from the Normandy has arrived_ ," his secretary said from outside the room. Immediately, Naruto perked up as Udina ordered her to let them in. turning around, he grinned as the door opened and in walked his sister.

"Alicia!" He said, rising up to greet her with a hug, as she chuckled.

"Jeez, I have one itty-bitty accident and you practically tackle me as soon as you see me," she said, ruffling his hair as he let her go. "Good to see you, little bro," she said.

Naruto just grinned at her, before his eyes moved to those with her. He nodded respectfully to Anderson, and a friendlier nod to Kaidan, and then he blinked as he saw Ashley. "Ashley? I wasn't expecting to see you again. Been some time, hasn't it corporal?" He asked with a grin.

"Its gunnery sergeant now," Ashley said with a grin, as she shook his hand. "And I hear you've gone up too. A captain now, right?"

"Yep," he said with a smile, only to be interrupted by an irritated throat clearing from the Ambassador.

"If you're all done with the meet and greet, let's get down to business," Udina snapped impatiently. "Captain Anderson, is this the entire ground team from Eden Prime?"

Anderson nodded as he kept his face blank. "It is ambassador. The only other people on the ground were Corporal Jenkins and Nihlus, and both of them are KIA," he reported.

"Very well. The Council will be holding a hearing tomorrow, where they'll wish to question the ground team on what happened, as well as review the evidence against Saren. They are definitely not pleased about that last part. Saren is their top agent, and a hero. I hope the evidence you found will be enough with whatever C-Sec manages to turn up," Udina said.

"It better be," Alicia said quietly, eyes narrowed, "because one way or another, I'm making sure that bastard pays for Eden Prime."

Naruto glanced at Alicia, seeing the anger on her face, only for Udina to draw their attention. "You will do nothing without the Council's permission, commander. You've already jeopardized your chances of joining the Spectres and caused a political situation that could end very badly for humanity. The last thing we need is you attacking a Council Spectre," the ambassador said.

"You can't blame Commander Shepard for that!" Ashley said, stepping up to defend Alicia. "Saren's the one who screwed things up and killed Nihlus! The commander saved Eden Prime!"

Udina just glared at the sergeant, causing her to hesitate for a moment, before turning to Anderson. "It seems your crew is as vocal and aggressive as you are, captain," he stated. "For now, there is nothing we can do but prepare for tomorrow. I suggest you all make sure your information is correct and you're ready for any questions the Council might have. Anderson, I want you to stay here as we have things to discuss," he said.

Anderson just gave a reassuring nod to his crew members, before they left, along with Naruto. Outside the office, Kaidan chuckled softly. "Looks like being quiet paid off. I'm the only one he didn't chew out," he said with a grin.

Ashley just grumbled. "I hate politicians. Nothing but back stabbers interested in their own gain," she muttered. "And can you believe him!? We saved an entire colony from being blown up, and all he cares about is whether or not you can still join the Spectres! I think that's the least of our problems right now."

"He's the human ambassador to the Council. It's his job to try and make humanity look as good as possible to them," Alicia reasoned. "Even if he is an asshole," she added with a grin.

Naruto just chuckled softly. "Trust me, I'm pretty sure the Council thinks the same thing," Naruto said. "You should have heard him ranting to them about their lack of support outside of humanitarian aid. Though to be fair, you do think they'd be concerned with the geth coming from beyond the Perseus Veil for the first time in three centuries. I'd have thought they'd send a small task force, if for no other reason than to try and learn more about the geth"

"The batarians would just spin it up as a prelude to war and start inciting more strikes all along the border of the Terminus Systems," Alicia said, her voice growling slightly as she mentioned the batarians.

"So, guess we need to find something to do, until tomorrow," Kaidan said quickly, feeling that it was best to move away from the subject of batarians given the lieutenant commander's reaction. "What do you all think? Quick tour of the area?" He suggested.

"Well…I actually have a bit of a situation of my own," Naruto said. "I've got a friend who's in a bit of a situation, and I'm helping her out. If you'd all like to come meet her, since I need to go let her know how things are going," Naruto said, not wanting to leave Tali hanging too long.

Alicia grinned as she leaned in closer. "Ohhh, a friend, hmmm? A female friend? Has my little brother gone and gotten himself a girlfriend without telling me?" She teased, as Ashley grinned as well, while Kaidan grimaced.

Naruto blinked, and groaned softly. "It's not like that sis," he grumbled, as Ashley just grinned more.

"That is the exact same line my sisters use. He's hiding something, skipper," she said to Alicia, who just kept grinning.

Naruto glanced over to Kaidan for help, with the biotic lieutenant simply raising his hands, indicating his desire to stay out of the situation. Naruto rolled his eyes, as Alicia smiled. "Well I for one would love to meet this 'friend' of yours Naruto. Lead on," she said with a grin.

"I am so going to regret this," he muttered softly, as he started to lead them towards the nearest skycar stop, while typing an e-mail. "I'll let her know we're coming, so she's not freaked out by seeing three strangers with me," he said.

"Yeah, it'd be embarrassing or your big sister to walk in on what's meant to be a naughty surprise for you," Alicia said, as Naruto groaned again.

 _Med Clinic_

Tali frowned softly as she read the e-mail Naruto sent to her. He had told her that the human ambassador was deliberating on granting her asylum in the human embassy, but was also dealing with the crisis regarding the recent attack on Eden Prime. She felt a small pang go through her chest, as she knew that the information she had was probably something that the Alliance desperately needed and wanted. But at the same time, she couldn't help but be worried that those above Naruto's head would simply give her asylum long enough to get the info, and then abandon her on the street, to be found and killed.

And if she took up the offer this Fist had given her regarding the Shadow Broker, she could get not only protection for herself, but negotiate for valuable intel for the Migrant Fleet, such as the location of raw mineral deposits, or maybe even advanced weapon schematics that could be used against the geth. Tali knew that between the two choices, there was only one to make.

She quietly typed out a message on a data pad, which she set aside, before sending a message to Fist, letting him know that she accepted his offer, and would be waiting for more details on where to meet him. Getting up, she checked the pistol at her side, a civilian variant of the Alliance M-3 Predator that Naruto had purchased at one of the local gun shops, before approaching Dr. Michel, who was cataloguing her inventory. The doctor glanced up at her and smiled. "Do you need something?"

"Yes…I ummm…I wanted to thank you for the aid you gave me. Patching me up and giving me some things to fix my suit. And I want you to know that I'm in your debt. However I can pay you back, please let me know," she said.

Dr. Michel raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you planning to leave?" She asked.

Tali hesitated, before nodding. "Yes. I know Naruto made an offer to get me asylum within the human embassy, but someone has made a…well they've made an offer I can't refuse. I was hoping you could give Naruto this message, when he comes back," Tali said softly.

Dr. Michel frowned as she took the datapad. "Why don't you simply stay and give him the message yourself?" She asked her, as Tali glanced away to the side.

"I…there's just reasons," she said, not wanting to state that she was wary of what Naruto's companions might do. She'd prefer simply leaving him this message and leaving. "Please, just…give him the message?"

The human doctor sighed as she set the datapad down. "Very well. But I feel like you're making a mistake. You should talk to Naruto. He is an honorable and good person," she said.

Tali just kept looking away. "That's what he seems like…but he's a soldier, and he'll have orders he'll need to follow. I just…this is better," she said, moving to exit the clinic. "Thank you…again, for healing me, Dr. Michel," she said, before exiting the clinic.

Dr. Michel just let out a tired sigh, putting the datapad down to the side, and going back to work on her inventory, completely unaware that as Tali left the clinic, unfriendly eyes were watching the door, waiting for the right moment to enter.

 _Skycar_

Naruto frowned slightly as he watched the busy traffic around them slow the speed of the skycar he, Alicia, Kaidan, and Ashley currently were in. He shifted, checking his omni-tool yet again, frowning more due to a lack of response from Tali. Hoping nothing had happened, he sat back in his seat.

Alicia glanced over at him. "Jeez, how much trouble is this girl in?" She asked, seeing how antsy Naruto was. "Like, trouble with the law, or trouble with gangs?"

"Trouble with mercs at least capable of making a hit in the middle of broad daylight and killing their comrades if captured," Naruto said, as Ashley whistled lowly.

"That's some trouble," Kaidan said. "But how in the heck did they get onto the Presidium without causing a ruckus?"

"They were dressed in C-Sec armor. Older models apparently, but good enough to fool most people watching them. And they had a sniper on the other side making the hit. Seemed pretty organized to me. Sniper takes the shot, and the others on this side clear up the mess quickly," Naruto said. "Except for me stepping in."

"Yeah, but it still can't be as easy as simply throwing on some C-Sec armor. There has to be-," Alicia said, only to be interrupted by Naruto's omni-tool beeping and blinking. Naruto activated it, bringing up a voice call.

" _Hello, is this Captain Shepard of the Alliance Marine corps? I'm officer Garrus Vakarian with Citadel Security, and I need to ask you a few questions_ ," a flanged, turian voice spoke on the other end. Naruto blinked at that, before responding.

"What do you need to talk to me about, officer Vakarian?" Naruto asked, slightly wary considering what had happened on the Presidium.

" _It's something that we really should discuss in private. Do you have somewhere we could meet? It's really important,_ " Garrus asked.

"Ummm…I'm heading to the free medical clinic near the access between the Presidium and Zakera Ward, run by a Dr. Michel. Please meet us there," Naruto said.

" _Thank you Captain Shepard. I'll be there as quickly as possible,_ " the turian said, closing the comm.

Naruto closed his omni-tool, as Ashley shifted. "I'm suddenly wishing I had a gun on me," she said.

"Getting a bad feeling sergeant?" Kaidan asked, as Ashley shifted in her seat.

"You could say that lieutenant," she murmured, as the skycab continued on its way.

It eventually reached the skycar stop near the clinic, and the quarter got out, after Naruto slid his credit chit into the meter and pulled it out, paying the fee for skycar use.

As they approached the free clinic, Naruto looked to Alicia. "Look, just don't do anything weird, and try not to scare her. She seemed skittish after what happened to her, and I don't want her getting the wrong idea."

"Awwww, you sure this girl isn't your girlfriend?" Alicia teased, as they entered the clinic.

The tease and good humor ended however as they saw a group of five men, each one armed, and one holding Dr. Michel at gunpoint. The woman was scared out of her mind, hands in the air, as the man waved a pistol in her face. "Now remember doctor, you don't know nuthin' bout no quarian, got it?" He snarled.

Dr. Michel whimpered. "I-I swear, I won't say anything!" She cried out.

Naruto and his group stopped dead as they saw and heard all this, as one of the thugs looked up and saw them. "Boss!" he shouted, raising his assault rifle.

"Cover!" Alicia shouted, as the four Alliance personnel dove into cover behind anything they could find. Ashley was cursing as she hit the ground.

"Well that's just fucking great. Armed thugs with assault rifles. What am I going to do, glare at them?" She ranted.

"You four, come out with your hands up!" The leader of the thugs shouted, as Naruto glanced at Alicia.

Alicia just nodded to him. "Do you think they know who they're dealing with?"

"Probably not," Naruto said, as both of them charged biotics to their hands. They both immediately popped up, shooting the biotic energy at two of the thugs.

Immediately both of them were yanked off their feet, dragged to the quartet. Kaidan and Ashley grabbed the thugs, dragging them down and quickly knocking them both out, grabbing their weapons. Kaidan gripped a pistol as he handed Naruto an assault rifle. Ashley gripped her own acquired assault rifle, but Alicia was weaponless due to the thug only have an assault rifle.

One of the thugs, with a shotgun, yelled as he began firing on their cover, a turned over couch in the waiting area, while the boss grabbed Dr. Michel and the other thug fired on Naruto and Kaidan's position behind a small counter.

Alicia grinned as she charged her biotics around her, and shot upwards before unleashing herself into a charge, driving the shotgun wielding thug through the wall separating the waiting area from the operating area. As she came out of the charge she quickly kicked the downed man across the face, knocking him out while grabbing his shotgun.

Naruto, Ashley, and Kaidan all rose up now, firing on the other thug, forcing him into cover, until Kaidan used his own biotics to throw him into the wall, knocking him when his head slammed into the wall.

The four of them now all pointed their confiscated guns at the last thug, who was holding Michel hostage, a gun pointed to her head. "You all better drop those guns, and fast, or else the good doctor here dies," he growled out.

"Uh-huh, and then you've got no shield, which means you die. I don't think so bub," Alicia said, gripping the shotgun. "You can't kill her if you want to get out of here alive. So how about you drop the gun, and we instead have a nice little chat?"

The thug sneered at her. "Yeah, right before you send me off to C-Sec? Not going to happen. And maybe I can't kill her, but I can wound her," he said, as he started to move his gun to point at Michel's leg. "A nice gunshot wound, right here, if you all don't back off!" He shouted.

Naruto snarled softly, glancing at Alicia, who grimaced a bit. Looking to Dr. Michel, he could see the terror in her eyes, which made him sigh, and he slowly lowered the assault rifle. Alicia did the same, followed by Ashley and Kaidan.

The thug smirked, as he began to move to the door, pushing Dr. Michel along with him, keeping her as a shield against them. However, he didn't count on the door suddenly opening, and a shot passing right next to Dr. Michel's head, passing through the center of his head. He dropped lifelessly to the ground, dead, as Dr. Michel dropped to her knees.

The four Alliance personnel turned, their weapons up again, only to blink as they saw a turian in C-Sec armor standing there, holding a smoking Predator pistol. He had blue markings under his eyes and across his nose and mandibles. He also had a pair of bluish-gray eyes, the left one hidden somewhat by a targeting visor. He raised his other hand up, waving the tri-digit hand. "Sorry I'm late to the party," he said.

Naruto blinked, lowering his assault rifle. "I take it you're Garrus?" He asked.

Garrus quickly entered, nodding. "Yeah. Garrus Vakarian, at your service," he said, before blinking as he saw Dr. Michel still on her knees. "Is she okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Well…you did kind of almost shot her in the head," Kaidan pointed out, as Garrus's eyes widened, and he quickly dropped down next to Michel.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," he said frantically, mandibles twitching due to his worry.

She slowly shook her head, allowing him to help her up. "Y-Yes. I'm fine," she said, glancing behind her at the dead body. "I…you saved my life," she said, looking back at him. "Thank you."

"Next time though, try to be more careful. Trying to save a hostage by shooting them may not exactly work," Alicia said, setting the shotgun down and moving to secure the unconscious thugs.

Naruto meanwhile realized that someone was missing, and quickly began looking around frantically. "Dr. Michel, where's Tali? Did they take her?!" He demanded, searching for the quarian girl.

Dr. Michel, who was being guided to a seat by Ashley, shook her head. "N-No…she said something about being given an offer, and deciding to take it…she left you a message in a data pad. It was on the desk, when those thugs came in here," she said, pointing to the desk.

Naruto quickly ran over and grabbed the datapad, as Garrus joined him. "Look, Captain Shepard, can we-?"

"Just a minute," Naruto said, as he accessed the data pad and started reading the message on it.

 _Naruto, I'm sorry for just disappearing like this, but I received an offer for protection that I couldn't refuse. I know you are trying to help me, and I thank you for that. But this offer guarantees not only my protection, but offers more as well. I hope that after all this is done, we can meet again so I can pay you back for saving me. Thank you again for saving my life, and everything else. Tali._

Naruto sighed, dropping the datapad aside, and turning to Garrus. "What is it you want?" He asked a bit tiredly.

"Captain Shepard, I was-," Garrus said, only for Naruto to raise his hand.

"Just Naruto right now, okay? You don't need to use my rank," he said.

"Naruto," Garrus said firmly, not wanting to be interrupted again. "Can we please talk now? It's important that I talk to you and your quarian friend."

"Why?" Naruto asked, turning to look at him. "Why is it important? Does this have to do with that incident on the Presidium?"

"Yes. I was one of the officers involved in questioning the two surviving suspects. They were resistant at first, but we managed to crack them," he said. "We learned that they both work for the criminal Fist, who runs a large criminal gang here in the wards."

"Fist? That's who these criminals work for too," Michel said from her seat. "I've seen them shaking down some of the kiosk owners for protection fees."

Naruto blinked at that, and looked at the thugs on the ground, then at Garrus. "So wait…Fist is after Tali? He's the one sending all these thugs after her?" He asked.

"If that is your quarian friend, then yes, he is the one going after her. But what's interesting is that we learned Fist isn't doing this just for himself. Someone's hired him to go after this quarian. One of the thugs mentioned that they overheard Fist talking to a 'Saren', and heard him mention a 'quarian'," Garrus said, looking at Naruto and then the others. "So Fist isn't interested in Tali for his own reasons, but because Saren or at least someone named Saren wants her."

Naruto just stood there, his face blank, before he slammed a fist into the wall with a snarl. "Tali's data, it must implicate Saren. She must have somehow got data that connects him to Eden Prime, and now he's trying to silence her before she can reveal it to anyone. He must have contacted Fist to get the data," Naruto said, growling in anger. "We need to find her."

Alicia glanced at the thugs on the ground, before looking to Dr. Michel. "Okay, but where is she? I mean, you said she accepted an offer someone made her, but who would it be, that'd she'd trust them?" She asked.

"Fist could do it," Michel said. "He works…or maybe worked would be more appropriate now, for the Shadow Broker. He helped gather information to send back to the Broker here on the Citadel. If he offered a deal to Tali on behalf of the Broker, Tali might have accepted it. The Shadow Broker has a lot of intel to offer people," she said.

"Shadow Broker?" Ashley asked, confused. Kaidan merely shrugged, just as confused as she was, so Naruto started to clarify.

"The Shadow Broker is an information broker. Probably the biggest and most powerful information broker in the galaxy. No one knows who he is or how to contact him, but he has agents everywhere, buying information he's interested in, or selling information to clients. He also has been known to acquire items for people who pay high enough for them, though his main focus is still information," Naruto said. "If Fist was one of his agents, then he most likely would have lured Tali in with a promise of a deal with the Broker."

"If Fist has betrayed the Shadow Broker, he either must be really dumb, or Saren has something that made Fist willing to turn against the Broker. I doubt the Shadow Broker and Saren would be working together on this," Garrus said. "Either way, I'm guessing we'll need to confront Fist if we want to find this Tali," Garrus said.

"We'll need to get suited up first. I doubt we can take on Fist's goons with the four of us in fatigues and using stolen guns," Kaidan said, indicating the pistol in his hand.

Garrus nodded as he typed in a command on his omni-tool. "Right. I'm authorizing the four of you with special permits that will allow you to carry weapons and firearms. Consider yourselves part of an 'official Citadel Security Investigation'," Garrus said, as Alicia grinned.

"I like the sound of that," she said, looking to Dr. Michel. "Will you be alright?" She asked her.

"Yes, provided these thugs are removed before they regain consciousness," she said, glancing down at them a bit nervously.

Garrus quickly tapped in a few more commands on his omni-tool. "I just sent a notice to C-Sec, and they should be sending a patrol to clean them up."

Kaidan handed over the pistol he had, as the others set their weapons down. "Here, in case any of them start causing problems," he said.

Michel nodded, nervously gripping the pistol, as Alicia grinned. "Well let's roll people. We've got a quarian to save. And if she does have info on Saren, then we can hopefully convince her to help us nail his spiky ass to the wall."

Garrus blinked at that as they left the medical clinic. "Ummm…is she always so…enthusiastic?" He asked.

"From what I've seen, yes," Ashley said.

"Pretty much," Kaidan said.

Only Naruto remained quiet as they made their way to the skycab depot. He was feeling somewhat frustrated and annoyed that Tali hadn't told her the information was connected to Saren, as it would have made things far easier in getting her protection and asylum in the human embassy. But he rationalized that with everything she'd been through, she likely wasn't quick to trust anyone. For now, he would focus on the task at hand. As they piled into the skycab, he grimly set himself to the task at hand. Like Alicia said, they had a quarian to save.

 _Presidium_

If anyone was to describe Barla Von, they would describe him as a generic volus. Like all of his species, he wore a highly pressurized suit that allowed him to survive outside the atmosphere of his home planet, Irune. Volus were very short, and could be described as 'round and chubby', with stubby legs and arms ending in three digit hands. Because of their small stature and unimpressive physicality, the volus had instead focused on economics, become a species widely regarded as being highly capable traders, merchants, and financial experts. They were the first Council affiliate race, and helped establish the galactic economy used to this very day, though their lack of a strong military had kept them from being able to gain a seat on the Council despite their many years as a Council affiliate and their contribution to galactic society.

Barla Von himself did not seem to be any different from his volus brothers and sisters, working on the Citadel as a financial expert who advised and aided the rich and powerful with their vast riches. However, very few knew that Barla Von had a second profession, one that required a great amount of discretion and secrecy.

Currently, Barla Von was seeing off a hanar client, watching the long limbed jellyfish like alien leave through the door of his office, before quietly setting the door to 'locked'. Setting up security measures to encode a transmission and scramble scanners, he then activated a personal communications terminal he had hidden inside his desk. After a few moments, a distorted voice spoke from the terminal. " _Report Agent Ditrec,_ " the voice said.

"Shadow Broker, I've confirmed that our mercenary is in position, and will be handling our traitor problem shortly. Should I relay any last minute instructions to him before he begins?" Barla Von asked, his voice sounding slightly tinny thanks to the speaker in his suit.

" _Yes. Tell him to leave the quarian girl alive and unharmed. He is to simply execute Fist and any of his men who get in his way. Afterwards, I want you to approach the girl, and apologize for Fist misleading her on this. Make her an offer to try and get the information, and then report back to me on what happens. You are to not take any other action beyond that. Understood?_ " The voice ordered.

"Yes Shadow Broker. It will be done. Agent Ditrec, out," Von said, as the communication ended. Securing the terminal that connected him to the Shadow broker, he kept the security measures in place as he activated his regular communications terminal, connecting him to a second source.

This time, it was a deep gravelly voice that answered him. " _What do you want? I was just about to get going here_ ," the voice said, annoyance evident in his tone.

"I have a few last minute instructions from the Shadow Broker. He wants you to leave the quarian girl alive and unharmed. You're to do nothing except ensure she's alive and escapes. Is that understood?" Barla Von ordered.

" _Yeah yeah, whatever. Just make sure my credits are ready for when I'm done_ ," the voice grumbled, before cutting off communications.

Barla Von sighed, ending the communication and securing the security measures, before sitting back for a moment. Now he would wait, and see where the credit chits fell.

* * *

 **So here we are. Already done with this chapter. Not as long as the last one, which is probably a good thing.**

 **I hope you all enjoy this twist to canon events. Or at least, I hope I didn't screw up too badly. Guess we'll see what you, the readers, think.**

 **Thanks go out again to my two beta readers Kyuubi123 and a7xfanatic11 (formerly 1195) for their work in editing my chapters. Thanks a bunch guys.**

 **So, till next chapter my friends!**


	9. The Hearing and The Spectre

**To anonymous reviewer Guest Z, don't worry. I in no way took your review as a flame, but a simple honest question. So don't worry about it, and I was glad to answer.**

 **To the other anonymous guest who reviewed concerning Vetra and Drack from Mass Effect: Andromeda, I had not considered that possibility largely because I wasn't planning on Andromeda having any major impact on my fanfic. At best, my ideas consisted or consist of Naruto having contact and previous dealings with Vetra, and having the launch of the Initiative Nexus and Arks perhaps be mentioned in news reports. Otherwise no, I wasn't planning on Andromeda characters making any major appearance largely because it really has no impact on my fanfic here. Still, thank you for the ideas and thoughts.**

 **So as mentioned in my Shinobi's Creed and A Simple Mission chapters, my family is currently experiencing financial problems. Because of this, my writing may or may not be delayed. I don't know if it will or not, so I will have to wait and see. And if it does delay me, I don't know for how long. All I can guarantee is that none of my fanfics are abandoned. I fully intend to continue writing every chance I get, when I can. Only utter catastrophe will stop me from writing. So no, these are not abandoned. At worst, they'll be on extended hiatus.**

 **Now, on to the chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Naruto. They are the property of Bioware and Masashi Kishimoto respectively. This is a nonprofit fanfic. Please support the official releases.

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **The Hearing and**

 **The Spectre**

Tali could only curse her choice, as she sat inside the office of Fist, the man who had made the offer to her from the Shadow Broker. She scoffed at the thought of that. She should have known better, known that such an offer was just a ruse.

She had met two of Fist's 'associates' in the marketplace not too far from Dr. Michel's office, and followed them to Chora's Den, a very seedy bar/gentleman's club that belonged to Fist and served as his base of operations. She had felt uncomfortable upon the sight of the risqué clothing worn by the females in the bar, especially the dancers, most of whom were asari, but a couple of them were humans. The men in the bar had leered in her direction, some obviously wondering what she'd look like under her suit.

Thankfully, her escorts had led her further into the bar, past a krogan bouncer and through the stockroom of liquors, before reaching the office of Fist.

Almost as soon as she had entered the room, she knew it was a trap, given the three armed men waiting for her and Fist's knowing smirk. Immediately, the two men who had escorted her grabbed her, one of them seizing her pistol and yanking it away, before she was seated down in a chair.

Fist had just continued to smirk, before ordering his three goons to keep an eye on her, as he left to take care of some business. The three criminals, two humans and a turian, had set themselves up in comfortable positions, each one far enough away that she couldn't grab their weapons, but close enough that they could easily see her movements. What's more, Tali could make out the housing for a pair of retractable turrets located in the corners of the room to either side of Fist's desk.

Judging by the housing, they looked like batarian made automated security turrets, which made Tali nervous about them being turned on her. Batarian weapons had a nasty habit of being designed to inflict the maximum amount of pain and carnage to those hit by their projectiles, though they also tended to be cheap and requiring constant maintenance. Tali knew that she could easily hack and take over those turrets if she needed to, as the onboard VI was usually very simplistic with little more than command codes for activated the turret, extending it, firing, and retracting, as well as a 'friend or foe' detection system. She could easily switch their FoF to recognize her as friendly, provided there wasn't any surprises added in.

The problem was her three guards made that impossible. At least one of them was always at an angle that would allow them to easily see her start to activate and use her omni-tool, so she'd never be able to start hacking the turrets without them seeing. That was her one bit of good news at the moment, was that her omni-tool was integrated into her suit so they couldn't remove it without killing her. Though she didn't understand why they hadn't done so already.

Her answer came when Fist entered the room again. He was an average looking human, with a crew cut and dark eyes, and was wearing a rather flashy suit. Tali couldn't help but think he looked like one of those stereotypical 'gangsters' from the human vids she had occasionally seen onboard the _Rayya_ , before her pilgrimage.

He just smiled at her, as he moved to his desk. "There's someone who wants to meet you. My employer," he said, as he moved to a holographic comm unit and activated it.

"The Shadow Broker?" Tali asked bitterly, glaring at Fist, who just laughed.

"No, someone a lot more dangerous, and who pays a lot better," he said, as the hologram began to waver, before taking shape, becoming that of a turian in an armored suit. The turian's eyes immediately locked onto Tali, causing her to shrink back.

" _Is this her?_ " He sneered, turning towards Fist, who just nodded.

"Yes sir. She managed to escape my boys once already thanks to some do-gooder getting in the way, but I was able to track her down and lure her in," Fist said proudly.

Tali shifted ever so slightly in her seat, as she quietly leaned her head forward inside her helmet, a quick blink of her eyes activating the mute command of her external audio. "Voice command, begin exterior audio recording," she whispered quietly.

Her suit's onboard computer, picking up her whisper, immediately activated the recording program that was part of her suit's systems. Most quarians who went on pilgrimage were outfitted with such programs, to allow them to record images or audio that they could scan or record with their omni-tool. In this case, she now was recording the conversation going on. If for no other reason then perhaps someone would hear it, if they found her body.

The turian nodded, looking in Tali's direction again. " _You almost caused me some problems, suit-rat_ ," he said. " _Your interference could have caused me annoyances I don't wish to deal with right now. But don't worry. I'll show you the cost for sticking your nose where it isn't wanted. Fist, hold onto her until I arrive. I want to deal with her personally._ "

"Understood Saren. But what about the data she's got? Should I take it now?" He asked.

Saren just scoffed. " _You'd likely never be able to extract it from her omni-tool. No, once she's dead, I'll have my 'friends' retrieve it from her omni-tool. For now, simply keep her there. I'll enjoy ending her existence after I deal with this pathetic hearing the Alliance is demanding,_ " he said, before signing off.

Fist just turned to Tali, shrugging his shoulders. "Tough break there kid," he said, as he sat down in his office chair. "But that's what you get for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Should have just minded your business," he added, putting his feet up on the desk.

Tali just glared at him, leaning forward. "How can you betray your own people like that?! He attacked a human colony!"

Fist just waved his hand dismissively. "Why should I care for them? I may be human, but that doesn't mean I'll get heartbroken cuz some farmers got killed. I'm worried about me and my own. And that's the gang working for me, and the customers who pay me. The rest of humanity can go burn for all I care," he said, before dropping his feet down and leaning forward. "But listen…you know you don't have to die. If you hand over that information and promise to work for me, I'll talk to Saren about sparing you. I can use a good mechanic and hacker, and that's what you quarians are good at, right?"

Tali just glared at him, before sitting back. "I'll never work for you," she said as defiantly as she could.

Fist shrugged. "Oh well, I tried. Still, maybe Saren will let me keep you anyways. I can think of other uses for a young female," he said, smirking, as Tali shivered, before he turned to his computer and began working.

Tali slumped back quietly in her chair, looking down and trying not to cry, though tears did start to well up in her silvery eyes. ' _Naruto…I'm sorry I ran off…I should have trusted you,_ ' she thought quietly.

 _C-Sec Skycruiser_

Naruto shifted in the backseat of the C-Sec Skycruiser that Garrus had checked out, feeling rather crowded. This could be because he was stuck back there with Ashley and Kaidan, with all three of them decked out in full armor and weapons. Garrus sat in the pilot's seat, with Alicia riding shotgun. "Remind me again why I'm the one stuck back here?" He asked his sister.

"Because I'm the senior officer, my armor's bulkier than yours, and I won when we played rock-paper-scissors to decide," Alicia said, grinning behind her breather mask on her helmet, as Naruto just scowled a bit. Though he did have to admit, she had a point about the armor. His N7 armor was somewhat slimmer in comparison, due to not having reinforced armor plating like hers' did. Instead, it was modified with extra storage space for thermal clips, as well as sensory modules that fed both his weapons and helmet telemetry data to increase his aim when firing his weapons, which consisted of an M-97 Viper sniper rifle, the N7 Valkyrie battle rifle, and an M-6 Carnifex, a rather powerful hand cannon, though not quite matching the power of Alicia's Mustang. He preferred the lighter armor as it allowed him to move quickly and quietly, his best combat traits.

Garrus meanwhile was outfitted with a Predator and a Lancer, both of which were one of several human designed weapons that had become one of the mainstays of the C-Sec arsenal. Both weapons had been modified with grips and triggers more comfortable to a turians tri-digit hand.

Ashley just rolled her eyes. "I actually thought I was done with crowded backseats once I left for Basic," she said, as Kaidan chuckled softly.

"And then you found out they pack you like sardines into your barracks, right?" He asked, as Ashley just sheepishly grinned behind her mask.

Garrus nodded. "There's our stop. We won't be too far from Chora's Den," he said. "If Fist has any contacts in C-Sec, he likely knows by now that his goons sent to Dr. Michel were picked up. So we'll looking at a firefight on our hands," he said.

"Which means we'll need to be careful. We're entering a civilian area, and the last thing we need is to cause an incident," Alicia said. "So everyone check your targets and don't fire blindly. Garrus and I will be first wave, clearing out immediate enemy threats and establishing our foothold in the club. Kaidan, you follow up behind us and give Naruto and Ashley a chance to get in there as well. We'll see the club first, and then proceed further in," she said.

Garrus brought up a holographic display of the club on the cruiser's dashboard. "If our target is still alive, she will most likely be kept here," he said, indicating a room towards the back. "This is Fist's office, and the most likely place he'll keep her. The only thing beyond it is Fist's personal quarters."

The four Alliance soldiers all nodded, studying the display. "Looks like some tight quarters once we're past the main club area. Good spots for chokepoints and barricades," Naruto said, studying the display.

"Thankfully, there's a ventilation system big enough for someone to move through. If we end up bogged down, someone can slip through and try to flank the enemy," Garrus said. "Probably one of you though. Turians don't exactly fit into tight spaces that well," he said sheepishly.

"Right. We've got a plan, now let's get it done," Alicia said, as Garrus piloted the car to parking area for personal skycars and cruisers. The quintet quickly piled out, each one drawing out their primary weapon, and quickly moving away from the parking area. They passed by some civilians, who were wise enough to move out of the way the instant they saw the military grade armor and weaponry, while a few kids stared and gaped at them, amazed at the sight of them.

Garrus stopped at the corner of a small alley way they were passing through, nodding his now helmeted head around the corner. "The club's just around the corner and down the street a bit. We'll be there-," he said, only to be interrupted by the sound of a gunshot, and a couple of people screaming and yelling.

"Well that doesn't sound good," Alicia muttered, as the group split into two teams. Alicia and Ashley moved to the right side of the street, as Garrus, Kaidan, and Naruto took the left side, both teams moving cautiously down the street towards the club. When they arrived, they quickly found the cause of the commotion.

Two turians lay dead in front of the club, one armed with a batarian assault rifle, while the other had a turian shotgun. Both of them were lying in a puddle of orange blood, their chests ripped open by shotgun blasts, as a very large krogan idly leaned against the wall near them, gripping a smoking M-22 Eviscerator shotgun.

The krogan in question was decked out in dark red armor with thick armor plating, and besides the Eviscerator in his hands, he also carried an M-76 Revenant Light Machine Gun on his back. His face was uncovered, though a krogan helmet sat nearby, and so they could see that the right side of his face, neck, and forehead plating were all marked and scarred, evidence of previous battles.

Naruto tensed as he saw the krogan, memories being drawn up of the fight on the _Folly_ , while Alicia whistled quietly. "That is one mean looking son of a bitch," she said.

The krogan turned his gaze away from the club's front doors, and saw them. With a grunt, he lifted himself up from the wall, and grabbed his helmet, before stomping over to them. They started to raise their weapons, but he just waved them off with the shotgun. "I ain't here to fight any of you. Not unless you're allied with Fist," he stated in a deep gravely, yet tired sounding voice.

"Who are you?" Garrus demanded, weapon still raised, as the krogan glared at him.

"Listen kid, you wanna point that gun away from me. I'm not the one you need to worry about right now," he said. "Name's Urdnot Wrex, and I was hired by the Shadow Broker to deal with Fist. Damn idiot turned traitor apparently."

The group looked at each other, before turning back to Wrex. "So what are you doing out here then?" Ashley asked.

Wrex just nodded to the club. "I might be a krogan, but I'm not dumb enough to go charging into a club full of thugs on my own. I was just thinking how I'd get in there after dealing with his bouncers outside, when you all showed up."

"Well…seems we've got a common enemy," Alicia said. "We're after Fist as well."

Wrex nodded quietly. "Hmmmm…would make sense to join forces then," he said. "My people have a saying. 'Seek the enemy of your enemy, and you'll always find a friend'," he said.

Kaidan raised an eyebrow. "Humans have the same saying. Go figure."

Wrex nodded, before looking at Alicia and Garrus, since they seemed to be in charge. "I should warn you though, warrior to warrior," he said, leaning in. "I am going to kill Fist. It's what I was hired to do. If you can't accept that, don't get in my way."

Naruto frowned slightly, taking a step forward. "Is that a threat?" He asked stiffly, as Wrex turned towards him.

"It's a warning. Nothing more," he said. "So who am I working with?"

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Alicia Shepard, Alliance Navy. My brother Captain Naruto Uzumaki Shepard, Alliance Marines. That's Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams, also Alliance Marines. And lastly Officer Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security."

Wrex acknowledged each of them, before his gaze shifted to Naruto, a new respect glinting in his red reptilian orbs. "So…you're the Crimson Demon, huh?" He asked, making Naruto stiffen. "Heard about what you did. Took on a krogan battlemaster in one on one close combat, and lived. Not many who aren't krogan can say that."

Naruto just stared him in the face. "I prefer not to go into that," he said, his voice emotionless, as Wrex shrugged.

"And you're his sister? The Blue Maelstrom. You're pretty famous too," Wrex stated as he sized her up.

"Don't worry, I'll autograph your shotgun later," Alicia said, before nodding to the club. "For now, we've got a party to crash. Wrex, you mind taking point? Garrus and I will be right behind you."

Wrex just shrugged and put his helmet on, sealing it in place. "Works for me. I'm better on the frontline," he rumbled, cocking his shotgun.

Alicia glanced at Naruto, seeing he was still rather stiff. "You okay?" She asked him on a private channel.

Naruto just nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry sis," he said.

Alicia nodded, switching back to her public communications. "Alright then. Wrex, on my signal," she said.

Inside the club, the only people present were Fist's gang members, as shortly after Tali arrived, he had ordered the club shut down so that his men could handle any C-Sec officers who came snooping around. When he learned about his thugs who went after Dr. Michel also being taken out by a few well-placed contacts on the streets and in C-Sec, he was doubly sure now that a raid was coming.

One of the enforcers, a balding human male, grumbled as he sat at the empty bar. "Can't even get a free drink here now. What is this horseshit?" He griped, looking over at his companion.

"We're on lockdown in case C-Sec tries anything funny while we're holding that quarian bitch. You really want to be drunk in the middle of a fire fight?" He asked.

The first thug was about to respond, when the doors to the club were thrown open, bent in half and ripped off their housings by something. That something being the seven-foot tall, hulking monster of a krogan who had slammed right into them.

Before any of the thugs could respond, the krogan was roaring, his shotgun coming up and blasting the thug who had been complaining full in the chest, practically disintegrating the man's torso with the serrated shrapnel the Eviscerator fired. His friend was drawing his own pistol to fire when rounds from two Lancers ripped into him, dropping him where he stood.

Around the club, other thugs immediately were bringing their weapons to bear, some tossing tables over to use as cover, others ducking behind the bar. One wasn't fast enough though, as a sniper round ripped through his head, splattering his bone shards and gray matter all over his companions.

Wrex was laughing as he brought his shotgun around to another enemy, blasting him with a thunderous roar that sent him flying over the bar in a mangled mess, while Garrus and Alicia quickly got inside, taking up cover and firing at the remaining thugs. Kaidan quickly followed behind, and seeing the thugs were getting organized and starting to fire back, he threw up a barrier around the group, as the bullets bounced off the shield of dark matter.

Ashley and Naruto quickly followed them in, taking up their own cover, as Wrex let out a grin at Kaidan. "Nice shield kid, but let me show you some REAL biotics," he said, before he let out a roar, shrouding himself in biotic energy and rushing out of the shield, the biotics making him move faster than before. He slammed right into a table that a thug had been hiding behind, causing it to slam into the thug and smashing him into the wall with enough force to practically liquidate his skeleton and organs. Wrex just let out that same blood crazed laugh as he brought this shotgun around, barely missing a turian who had popped up to fire.

Alicia began channeling her own biotics, sending out a shockwave that sent a salarian and a human flying from their cover, where they were quickly picked off by Garrus, Naruto, and Ashley. Kaidan followed behind Wrex, firing a throw at a turian who was about to fire at Wrex's back and sending the gang member smashing into a wall, where he was knocked unconscious.

The few remaining criminals, seeing themselves outflanked and outgunned, began retreating back towards the stockroom, with Alicia signaling the squad to move up. Wrex was again the first one to the opening, where he was forced back by the hail of gunfire. "Damn pyjaks got themselves a kill zone here," Wrex said, as the few remaining thugs had a few large crates for cover, and were peeking out to fire from them.

Naruto pulled out his Viper. "I've got this," he said, falling back a bit behind the others and setting himself up behind a table. Lying in a prone position, he readied his sniper rifle, aiming through the scope. He frowned, as the thugs kept popping out a random, barely giving him time to register, aim, and fire. He stopped as his scope panned over a fire suppression unit, packed full of highly compressed fire suppression foam. With a grin, he aimed at that, and fired.

The thugs were all blown out of cover as the unit exploded, the force of the compressed foam being released creating a localized shockwave that sent them flying. One smashed into a wall, his neck breaking and killing him. Another, a turian, was blown into the open, where immediately Ashley gunned him down with her Vindicator. The third and final one, a krogan, was staggered but quickly got his balance back and roared, charging towards them.

Wrex met his charge with his own, the two of them smashing together, the krogan bouncer being knocked back, as Wrex drove his shoulder into him, driving him into the wall. Wrex immediately reared back, slamming his helmeted head into the unprotected krogan's face, head butting him several times.

Pulling back, watching the krogan slump against the wall in a daze, Wrex grinned as he put the barrel of his shotgun right under his chin, and pulled the trigger. Even the thick hide of the krogan could do nothing against a point-blank shot like that, and the front of the krogan's face disappeared in blood, gore, and shrapnel, which sprayed all over Wrex's armor.

Wrex let out a hearty laugh. "Now that was a good warm up!" He shouted, feeling his blood pumping and thrumming through his body as he turned to look at his allies. "Let's get moving. I want some more enemies," he said.

Alicia just shook her helmeted head, quickly moving up next to the sealed door at the other end of the stockroom. "Alright, there's just a small corridor and then Fist's office is on the other side," she said quietly, checking her HUD's motion tracker. Not seeing any enemy movement, she nodded to Kaidan, and pointed to the lock door. "Get working," she said, as the Alliance lieutenant nodded and got to work.

In Fist's office, the atmosphere had changed dramatically. As soon as they heard the first shots and yells from the club, Fist had immediately shot up, grabbing an ornate pistol and indicating to his three thugs. "Get out there and find what's going on!" He ordered, as the three thugs immediately rushed off, while Fist activated the two sentry turrets and pointed his pistol at Tali. "You, up. Hands where I can see them," he snapped, as Tali quickly stood, hope in her chest as she heard the gunfire and yells.

As the noises grew closer, she could sense Fist growing more and more nervous, by the way he kept glancing at the door, the way he twitched at each noise, and his pistol shook. She quietly waited, not doing anything to draw his attention fully back to her, knowing that she might have an opportunity at any moment.

Eventually, everything was silent, and Fist looked towards the door, frowning as he waited for one of his thugs to return, or contact him via their omni-tool. But no response was forthcoming. And that's when the sealed door's holographic display shifted to 'unlocked', and the door opened.

Alicia was the first one in, Crusader shotgun at the ready, with the rest of the squad moving in. Almost immediately the two turrets pointed at them and began firing, forcing them all to dive into whatever cover they could. Alicia cursed as rounds ripped into the couch she was hiding behind. "Garrus, why didn't you tell me he had sentry guns?!" She shouted to the turian C-Sec officer.

"I didn't know he had them!" The turian shouted back, as Wrex grimaced at the sounds of the guns.

"That's not good. Batarian T-57's. Very nasty piece of business," he stated. "We'd be lucky to take one out without someone losing a limb at least."

"Lieutenant, think you can hack them?" Naruto asked Kaidan, who brought up his omni-tool. He began typing in a few commands, only to curse.

"No good, he's got a signal jammer program. The only way to access them is on a specific frequency," he reported, as he tried to find the frequency, or a way to bypass it.

Fist just grinned as he kept the pistol pointed at Tali. "Hah! Is this really the best you could do?! You're all so pathetic!" He shouted, as the guns continued to chew through the cover protecting the would be rescuers. However, with his attention drawn to watching them, Tali took that moment to act. She quickly began typing on her omni-tool, keeping her arms down low so Fist didn't notice. She began accessing her own hacking program, but instead of directing it at the sentry guns, she directed it at his computer. Hacking into it, she soon found the command frequency, and latched onto it, pirating command of the sentries and rerouting it to her omni-tool. She grinned to herself as she suddenly dropped to the ground, activating the command she had typed it.

The sentry guns immediately ceased firing, turning to aim at Fist and firing a short burst each. Fist let out a scream of pain as the bullets ripped through his arms, leaving them both bloody mangled messes, causing his pistol to drop to the ground. Immediately both sentry guns powered down and retracted into their housing.

Fist was still screaming in pain, as the others quickly got out of their riddled cover and Tali scrambled away, retching a bit at the sight of the mangled limbs. As soon as she was clear, Wrex brought up his shotgun, and shot Fist in the head, reducing it to a bloody mess.

Everyone flinched at that, as Wrex lowered his shotgun. "Well that takes care of that," he said, holstering his shotgun. "Better to just put him out of his misery, hmmm?"

"I guess so. Wounds like that, he probably wouldn't make it to a C-Sec lockup," Alicia said, turning to where Naruto was holding Tali, who was bent over, shuddering in horror and disgust at the sight of what she had caused. She turned to Ashley and Kaidan. "Secure the entrance. Let's make sure there aren't any more surprises," she said.

The two Alliance marines nodded and quickly headed to the entranceway, as Garrus and Alicia approached Naruto and Tali. Naruto was helping Tali to stand up straight, as she shuddered.

"You okay?" He asked her, as she weakly nodded.

"I…I've never seen something like that up close," she said quietly. "It…I did that."

Naruto nodded as he made her look at him. "Yes, I know. You did that, and saved us in the process."

Tali just quietly nodded, looking away from him. "I…caused all this though," she said. "I should have waited, should have trusted you. Instead, I ran off like an idiot, and look at what happened."

"To be fair, I think if you refused Fist's offer, he would have just come and attacked you at the clinic anyways," Naruto told her. "He didn't seem to be the type to take no for an answer."

Tali just kept looking away from him. "It's not just that…I knew that the information I had connected to Eden Prime. I knew how important it was to the Alliance. But…I hid it from you, and even after you helped me out, even saved my life, I still chose to trust some random stranger instead of you. I was just a stupid idiot…"

"Okay yes. You made mistakes, but you can't wallow in them," Alicia said, joining the conversation. "Considering what Naruto told me, I can understand you being skittish and paranoid about people around you being a threat, or just using you. Sure, you should have maybe thought things through better and trusted Naruto more, but in the end, we're all here, alive and uninjured. Let's just chalk it up as a win, and move on," she said firmly in a reassuring tone.

"Aah yes, enlightened advice from guru Alicia Shepard," Naruto said with a grin, as Alicia punched his shoulder. Tali blinked, and giggled slightly at the two of them, making Naruto smile at her. "By the way, Tali'Zorah? This is my sister, Lieutenant Commander Alicia Shepard of the Alliance Navy. Alicia, this is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

"Good to meet you," Alicia said. "My brother told me a lot about you. Personally," she said, leaning in and speaking in a loud whisper. "I think he's got a huge crush on you."

Naruto just groaned, covering his visor, as Tali blinked. "W-What?" She squeaked out, as Alicia grinned.

"Ignore her. She feels the need to tease and but the shit out of everyone around her. And by everyone, I mostly mean me," Naruto snorted in exasperation, getting a snort from Alicia and an unsure chuckle from Tali.

Garrus cleared his throat at this point, drawing their attention to them. "Miss Zorah, I'm Officer Garrus Vakarian, with C-Sec. I was hoping perhaps to talk to you about an investigation in Saren Arterius. I was assigned to gather information on him after the Alliance demanded a hearing to discuss him being behind the attack on Eden Prime. I was hoping you might be willing to reveal whatever information you've gathered?"

Tali hesitated for a moment, looking at Naruto and Alicia, then back at Garrus. "I'm willing to share that information with you, but only if I'm also allowed to share it with the Alliance," she stated. "They saved my life twice now, and it is at least a start to me being able to pay them back," she stated.

Garrus blinked, before nodding. "Understood. Perhaps we should return to the human embassy then, and find out what exactly you found?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Alicia said, before looking at Wrex, who was busy raiding a small fridge for alcohol or snacks. "What will you do now?" She asked Wrex.

The krogan stood up from the mini fridge, helmet off and holding a mini bottle in one hand. "Me? Well I'm going to go get paid for killing Fist, and then probably going to raid a couple bars. Celebrate our fun here," he said. "Have to say Shepard, you seem to know how to have a good time. You ever need a bit of extra muscle, give me a call. I'll even give you a reasonable price," he said with a smirk, before downing the bottle and tossing it aside.

Alicia just chuckled. "I'll let you know if I ever need another door busted down. You make a nice battering ram," she said, as they started to leave. As they passed through the doorway and joined Ashley and Kaidan, Alicia looked to Garrus. "You do know we're likely to need a second cruiser now, right?" She asked.

"Oh...yeah," Garrus said, not wanting to try and fit six people into the cruiser.

Alicia just grinned at Naruto and Tali. "Course Tali could just sit on Naurto's lap. I'm sure they wouldn't mind,' she suggested.

Tali just stopped and gaped, sputtering in protest, as Naruto slapped his palm against the forehead of his helmet. "Alicia, I'm begging you. Stop," he groaned out, as Ashley and Kaidan laughed at his and Tali's reaction.

 _Council Chambers_

The trio of Councilors all stood on the platform overlooking the Council Chambers, suspended over a garden with a glass roof, allowing those who stood before the Council to look down at the beautiful, serene vegetation below. Behind them, the glow of the building lights of the Wards cast a faint glow into the room.

Next to them, a large holographic projector currently showed the image of Saren Arterius, the famed turian Spectre. His arms were crossed, frowning, as he looked down at the assembled figures standing before the Council.

Councilor Udina stood at the forefront, with Anderson, Alicia, Kaidan, and Ashley behind him, each in their dress uniforms. Naruto was behind them, standing slightly at Anderson's right side, while Garrus was stood next to him.

Tevos was the first to speak. "This session of the Council has now been called to order. We are here today to deal with claims by the Systems Alliance that the Spectre, Saren Arterius, conspired to not only attack the human colony of Eden Prime, but kill Spectre Nihlus Kyrik. Before we begin, does the defendant have any statements he wishes to make?" She asked, turning to Saren.

" _I resent these baseless accusations_ ," Saren stated angrily, looking at the humans. " _Nihlus was a close friend and colleague. I would no sooner betray him then I would this esteemed Council,_ " he stated.

"Ambassador? Do you have any statements?" Tevos asked.

"No Councilors. Not at this time," Udina said.

"Very well. Let us begin. Present your evidence," Tevos said, as Valern and Sparatus both shifted their attention now.

"Our first piece of evidence is both the recorded images of Spectre Nihlus's body, as well as the autopsy report," Udina said, indicating to a holographic screen that had appeared on the Councilor's opposite side, as well as smaller screen's appearing on their consoles in front of them. "As you can see here, the ground team from the _Normandy_ recorded the scene where Nihlus was found. To explain what we're seeing, I'd like to call an expert witness on bullet trajectory and body placement, Captain Shepard of the Alliance Marines," he said, stepping to one side.

Naruto moved up next to him, as the Councilor's turned their focus to him. "The Council recognizes Captain Shepard as an expert witness on this matter. Please, begin."

"Thank you, Councilors," Naruto said, before he indicated to the screen. "Both the placement of the entrance and exit wounds, as well as the positioning of the body, is all telling of how this individual died. The entry wound is located at the back of the head, and is a single shot, which rules out that Nihlus was killed in regular combat. We would be seeing multiple bullet wounds across the body, as well as damage to the armor in multiple locations, if the case was otherwise. As such, we can conclude that his death was caused then by either a sniper ambush, an execution, or someone getting close enough to shoot him from behind," Naruto said.

"We can, however, rule out this being a sniper ambush," Naruto said, bringing up a three-dimensional map of the area where Nihlus had been found. "As you can see from the way his body fell, it fell forward when he was shot. This is further corroborated by the fact that his helmet visor shows signs of exploding outward where the round exited his head. This means Nihlus was shot from behind. However, the bullet's entrance and exit holes are level with each other. A sniper rifle could not have done this without being fired from close range, as the terrain behind where Nihlus was found dead is an incline. Any sniper shooting at Nihlus would likely have caused an entrance wound higher on the back of his skull, and the exit wound would be down lower at an angle. Meaning then this was either an execution, or a surprise attack from behind."

The Councilor's shifted a bit, looking at each other. "Which one was it then?" Sparatus asked.

"If we went with the execution theory, then that would mean Nihlus was captured and executed by enemy combatants. Considering that the only confirmed enemies were geth, who would likely not go through the trouble of staging an 'execution' and would simply kill a captive, this would mean then that it was an organic that captured Nihlus, and killed him. However, we can eliminate this as the cause of death, as Nihlus's weapon was still in hand, and if he was a captive, he wouldn't be carrying it. Meaning then that the most likely cause of death was someone being able to come up behind Nihlus, and shoot him almost point-blank range in the back of his helmet. The only way that would be possible would be if that someone managed to somehow sneak up on him completely undetected, or if it was someone that he trusted," Naruto said, before bowing his head and stepping back.

Captain Anderson stepped forward now. "According to the autopsy report, they were able to determine that the entry and exit wound was likely caused by a pistol or hand cannon that was less than two inches from the back of his helm, well within the protection area of his armor's shielding. While we were unable to determine the exact type of weapon used, the wound is consistent with a human or turian based weapon," he concluded.

"I see then," Valern said with one hand on his chin in thought. "While hardly concrete evidence, this does at least indicate that Nihlus was killed either by an extremely stealthy opponent, or someone he trusted."

"But as you said, it is hardly certain evidence that Saren was the one who did it," Sparatus said. "I hope you have more evidence then that."

"Yes Councilor's. We have an eyewitness who stated that he saw the one who killed Nihlus. We forwarded the recording taken by the ground team of his statement to you when we submitted the report on Eden Prime," Ambassador Udina said.

"Yes, we saw that piece of evidence, and while I do find it concerning that he mentioned the name Saren, he was clearly in a traumatized state after what happened. We cannot take his word at face value without corroborating evidence," Tevos stated.

Udina and Anderson frowned at that, while the others didn't seem worried. Saren chose this moment to speak up. " _This is nothing but a waste of time. They have no proof that I killed Nihlus or led this attack on their colony. They're simply using this hearing to hide their soldier's incompetence and inability to complete their mission and retrieve the beacon,_ " he said.

Alicia frowned at that, and spoke up. "I was led to understand that the mission to retrieve the beacon was top secret, known only to the Council and the Alliance personnel involved. How do you know about it?" She demanded.

" _When Nihlus died, his files on the mission passed to me automatically, since I am one of the senior Spectres. You proved your species inability to accomplish even the simplest of missions, Shepard. You've proven that you and your species are not ready or fit to join the Spectres or the Council, but you hide it behind this attempt to frame me,_ " he sneered.

Udina was about to step forward and yell, only to be stopped by, surprisingly, Alicia. She just gave him a smile, making him blink, before speaking. "Actually…we still have two pieces of evidence left to present, Councilors. Evidence that we very recently uncovered. However, I leave it to someone else to present it," she said, stepping aside and turning. "Garrus?"

Garrus slowly stepped to the front now, nodding to the Councilors. "Garrus Vakarian, Citadel Security Officer Second Class. Councilors, I was one of the officers put in charge of investigating Saren after the Alliance leveled their charges against him. And what I've discovered is rather disturbing."

Sparatus frowned at that. "What did you find, Officer Vakarian?" He asked.

"I was called in when a couple of criminals found on the Presidium were interrogated, and one of them mentioned the name Saren. Upon further questioning, I was able to establish that these criminals worked for a criminal leader known as Fist, who they claim was hired by Saren to track down a quarian girl and to eliminate her. Further investigation led to me to Captain Shepard, who apparently had been instrumental in saving the quarian from Fist's criminals. After meeting with him, I was able to confirm that the quarian in question, one Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, was in possession of what she claimed was valuable information, and was being pursued by more of Fist's criminals. At this point, we also confirmed that she was most likely now in Fist's hands, leading to myself, Captain Shepard, Commander Shepard, Lieutenant Alenko, and Sergeant Williams to attempt to find and rescue Tali'Zorah," he reported, before beckoning over his shoulder.

There was a few moments of silence, before Tali slowly stepped from the shadows, moving past the humans and standing next to Garrus, shifting a bit uncomfortably as she found herself in front of the three most powerful people in Council space, and the holographic image of the man who was trying so hard to kill her. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the Council. "Honored Councilors, I am Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, recently arrived from the Migrant Fleet. And I have evidence conclusively proving that one Saren Arterius was behind the attack on the human colony of Eden Prime."

The Councilors all focused on her, as Sparatus frowned, his mandibles flaring. "Is that so? And what is this evidence exactly?" He asked, his voice sounding condescending.

Tali felt her confidence take a hit, before straightening up. "I encountered a group of geth shortly after leaving the Migrant Fleet on my pilgrimage, and upon ambushing one, I was able to save some of the data from its hard drive," she stated. "I had hoped it might be some useful information for my people, but what I discovered was something that shocked me. I found this audio recording," she said, accessing her omni-tool, and bringing up the recording in question, before setting it to play.

There were a few moments of silence, and then Saren's voice could be clearly heard speaking. " _ **Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit.**_ "

" _ **And one step closer to the return of the Reapers**_ **,** " a female voice said, before Tali shut down the recording, and looked up at them.

The Councilor's all stood there, shocked, before their gaze moved up to Saren. Saren looked quite angry, before pointing at Tali. " _You trust this nomadic thief over me?_ " He asked them. " _How do we know this message isn't simply a forgery, designed to humiliate and frame me for the actions of another?_ "

The Councilors looked back to Tali, who brought up a second message. "Because I have here evidence supporting your attempt to kill me," Tali said, as she began playing the recording she took in Fist's office.

The Councilors could only look on in horror as the message played, and they heard Saren question Fist, heard his threats to Tali, and his final orders to Fist, before it ended. Immediately, Tevos turned towards Saren's holographic display, her mouth open to speak, only to stop as she saw him. Everyone else also turned to the Spectre's holographic image.

The turian was in a fury, rage and hatred evident on his face, as he glared down at Tali and Garrus, then at Alicia and Naruto, before his gaze turned to the Councilors. " _You're all fools,_ " he sneered, before his display suddenly shut down, the communication cut off.

The Councilors stood in silence, before Tevos spoke. "The…Council would like to call for a recess, as we deliberate on…what we've heard," she said. Despite it being obvious Saren was a traitor, the Council was still shaken up by what happened, and she wanted to give them time to come to terms with what had happened. Sparatus in particular seemed a bit lost after what had happened.

Udina, sensing they had scored a major victory, decided for the moment to back down. "Of course Councilors. We'll await your summons in our embassy," he said, as he slowly stepped back. The group turned and left the Council chambers, as the three Councilors glanced at each other, before slowly departing for their office spaces.

Inside the lift, Ashley grinned. "Am I the only one who enjoyed seeing him get nailed to the wall?" She asked, as the others nodded. Udina was still frowning though.

"This is a victory, but not the one we want. Commander Shepard's position in the Spectres is still in question," he groused.

"And Saren is still likely a threat. He'll be on the loose now, and he won't hold back now that he's been exposed," Anderson said. "If we truly want to protect our colonies, he needs to be stopped, and for good."

"Let's not forget here though that we wouldn't have been able to take Saren down without Tali's help," Naruto said, as Tali shrunk a bit back against the wall.

"There's really no need for that. I was just making up for my screw ups earlier," she said.

"Nevertheless, we do owe you a debt of gratitude, Miss Zorah," Anderson said. "If there's any way we can repay you back, let us know."

Tali just nodded quietly and shyly. Garrus however was distracted by his omni-tool, reading a message he got on it, and frowning. Kaidan noticed, and spoke up. "Something wrong Garrus?"

"Just a communication from Executor Pallin. He wants me to report to his office. Guess I won't be able to celebrate with you guys just yet," he said, lowering his omni-tool.

As the elevator stopped on the Presidium's level, Garrus got off quickly. "I'll get in contact with you all later!" He called out, heading off to meet with the Executor.

Alicia nodded, before glancing at Tali. "I think we should talk about what exactly we heard in that recording though," she said. "I mean, okay it convinced the Council that Saren attacked Eden Prime, especially when added to everything else and his little disappearing act there. But what about the rest of what he was talking about? What's the Conduit? And the Reapers?"

"I don't know what the Conduit is," Tali said, as she followed her off the elevator, "but I do know from the data I did manage to harvest that the Reapers are some type of machines. The geth apparently revere them because they're some type of ancient AI. Apparently, the geth believe they wiped out the Protheans fifty thousand years ago."

Alicia missed a step at that, stopping and turning back to her. "You're sure? That's what the geth believe?" She asked.

"Y-Yes. Why?" Tali asked, startled by Alicia's sudden focus on her, as the others stopped as well.

"Commander, do you think this is connected to your vision?" Anderson asked.

Alicia nodded. "It makes sense sir. Think about it. That Prothean beacon leaves me with some kind of mission involving machines or something destroying people. I thought it was maybe some type of vision about the geth or something, but it wasn't. Maybe that beacon had an archive of the Prothean's fall, and it was transferred into my head. The vision I'm seeing is of these Reapers wiping out the Protheans," she said hurriedly.

"And now Saren is looking for them? Why?" Ashley said. "Why would he want to find a bunch of machines that killed off the Protheans?"

"He could want them as a weapon," Naruto said. "He doesn't seem to have a high opinion of humanity, so I imagine if he got his hands on a bunch of AI and could somehow take control of them…" he said, trailing off as the horror sunk in.

"He could effectively wipe out anyone he wanted to," Kaidan said quietly, summarizing their thoughts.

"All this conjecture is pointless," Udina said. "What we do know is that Saren is a threat, and he is out there. As soon as the Council recognizes that, we'll get their support in securing the region and hunting him down. All this talk of ancient war machines is just nonsense," he stated firmly, attempting to end the discussion.

"Not when it's the motivating factor for the guy we want to take out," Alicia countered. "We need to understand his motives if we're going to stop him."

"Then you best hope the Council hurries and comes to a decision," Udina said, as they arrived at the Embassy. "Miss Zorah, you're welcome to stay here until such time as you decide what you wish to do next. However, please refrain from going anywhere without an escort," he said, heading off to his office, as the others started to disperse.

Meanwhile, Garrus could only to blink and gape at the turian sitting across from him. "I'm…what?" He asked.

Executor Pallin, the head of C-Sec on the Citadel frowned. "You're suspended indefinitely, Vakarian. Your actions in the Saren investigation were a clear violation of standard protocol. Be glad that I'm only suspending you from the force."

"But…I just helped expose a traitor! A Spectre no less! I was protecting the Citadel," Garrus protested angrily.

Pallin just watched him coldly. "What you did was launch an unauthorized assault on a civilian establishment with unauthorized personnel. You should have called on C-Sec for a Specialized Response Unit, not go charging in with some gung-ho marines."

Garrus growled as he slammed a fist on the table. "With all due respect sir, how the hell am I supposed to do my job if you keep suffocating me with protocols and regulations? We're supposed to be protecting people, not worrying about some bureaucratic bullshit!"

"And how can you protect people when you take matters into your own hands, and go off half-cocked like some blood crazed krogan?" Pallin asked. "There's nothing more to discuss. Turn in your weapons, armor, and badge," he said, turning away from Garrus.

Garrus glared at him, before angrily yanking the badge from his armor and tossing it on the desk. "Yes sir," he said bitterly, before storming off.

The Council took several hours to 'deliberate', before a message was sent to the human embassy, recalling Udina, Alicia, and Anderson at least. The trio quickly returned to the Council Chambers, where the three Councilors now stood again.

"Ambassador, after much deliberation, we cannot deny the evidence that has been brought before us. Saren is a traitor, and as such has been stripped of his Spectre status, effective immediately. However, we have discovered he is not the only one," Tevos said. "The second voice in the recording provided by Tali'Zorah has been identified as Matriarch Benezia, a powerful and highly respected figure within the Asari Republics. It has become apparent to us that she has thrown in with Saren, as our attempts to contact her after we heard the recording all failed. "

"If Saren has the support of one of your…matriarchs, as well as the geth, then he is still a threat, even with losing his Spectre status," Udina said. "If you could send a Council Fleet into the Traverse, we could-," he said, only to be interrupted.

"We cannot launch a full fleet into the Traverse," Valern stated. "We have no idea what Saren's motives are, and this attack on Eden Prime simply could be a ruse to lure us away from his real target. All Council Fleets must be kept in reserve to respond to any emergency that might pop up."

"Councilors, we might have some idea on what Saren is after," Alicia said, stepping forward. "As you heard in the recording, Saren is searching for something called the Conduit, which will apparently allow him to find those 'Reapers' mentioned by Matriarch Benezia. When we questioned her further, Miss Zorah revealed to us that the geth data she extracted had some information on these Reapers. Apparently, the geth believe them to be an ancient race of sentient AI that was the cause of the Protheans disappearing fifty thousand years ago. It's possible that Saren is using the geth to find the Reapers, though we don't know for what purpose."

Sparatus scoffed. "Do you hear yourself Commander? You think he's seeking out ancient AI that wiped out the Protheans? What possible purpose could he have for these Reapers? If they even exist that is," he said, looking to the other Councilor's. "There has been no record of anything like these 'Reapers', not even rumors or myths about them. Most likely they're a ruse for Saren to use to manipulate the geth, if they believe in these things."

Alicia took a deep breath. "There is one other thing. I do not know if the report sent by Captain Anderson mentioned it, but upon my interaction with the beacon, I received a vision, one that showed me fear, death, and destruction. I saw organics being slaughtered by machines, which I thought to be geth initially. However, after hearing about these Reapers, I believe that the vision I'm seeing is something the Protheans left behind. Maybe it's a data archive, or a recording, warning someone of the Reapers."

Tevos sighed. "I'm sorry Commander, but we cannot act upon 'visions'. Unless we have credible evidence, we cannot move into the Traverse against Saren."

"There is something you could do though," Anderson said, stepping forward. "You could send a Spectre into the Traverse, to hunt down Saren. And I do believe that there is a potential Spectre candidate who is already familiar with the details of this operation?"

Sparatus waved his hands. "It is too soon. Shepard has not undergone the full evaluation for Spectre recruitment. We have no idea if she's capable of handling the power and responsibility."

"It's a win-win though for everyone," Alicia said. "You can send me after Saren without sending in a Council Fleet and thus provoking the batarians or anyone else, and the ambassador gets the human Spectre he wants. Everyone here wins," she said.

"She raises a valid point," Tevos said. "Commander Shepard has already proven to be a resourceful and skilled woman, and her actions in past missions show she has the qualities we are looking for. I believe this is the best idea," she said, looking at Valern. The salarian Councilor nodded, before she turned to Sparatus who stared at her for a few moments, before reluctantly nodding as well. "Very well. Commander Shepard, please step forward," Tevos said, as each Councilor activated the console in front of them.

Alicia slowly stepped forward, unaware that the entire event was now being recorded and televised live to every colony and outpost within Council space. Along the balconies overlooking the Council Chambers, diplomats and officials present lined up, to watch this historic event.

Tevos began to speak. "It is the decision of this Council that you, Lieutenant Commander Alicia Shepard, be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance unit of the Citadel."

"Spectres are not trained but chosen. Individuals forged in the fires of service in battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file," Valern intoned, arms crossed.

Tevos now took over, speaking next "Spectres are an ideal, a symbol, the embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will," she said.

"Spectres bear a great burden," Sparatus said, now taking over. "They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"You are the first human Spectre, a great honor and accomplishment for you and your species," Tevos said, the hint of a warm smile on her face, seeing the potential of another race start to blossom.

Alicia bowed her head. "I am honored, Councilors, for your trust and faith in me," she said.

Valern spoke up at this point, as the live feeds ended. "Your first mission as a Spectre will be to enter the Attican Traverse. There you will hunt down the rogue Spectre Saren, and utilize any means at your disposal to apprehend or eliminate him," he said.

"We will forward any information or leads to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, I suggest you prepare yourself for your mission. Your Spectre status will allow you to requisition special weapons and armor if need be, as well as access to the Spectre Offices," Sparatus stated.

Alicia nodded in understand, turning to Tevos who was the last to speak. "As there is no other business at this time, this meeting of the Council is concluded," she said.

The Councilors left their platform, while Alicia turned to Udina and Anderson. Anderson smiled warmly as he held out his hand, shaking Alicia's hand. "Congratulations. This is quite an accomplishment, and one that's well deserved," he said.

"Yes, congratulations. But we cannot stop and celebrate," Udina said, resting his chin in his hand as he thought. "You'll need your own ship and crew if you're going to go after Saren. Not to mention you'll need a specialized team as well to support you. Anderson, come with me. We'll need to contact Alliance Headquarters and begin preparations at once for Shepard's mission," he stated, turning to leave.

"Ummm…shouldn't I be part of the preparations and stuff?" Alicia asked, blinking as Udina just walked off. Anderson just gave her a sheepish smile.

"Why don't you go get your brother and some others, and celebrate becoming a Spectre. Though I'd stay out of some of the back-alley bars. Never know who you'll run into down there," Anderson said, before turning and following Udina, as Alicia stood there.

"…ooookay," she muttered, before heading off, bringing up her omni-tool. They could always try out that Flux club she had seen while they were in the Wards access. Seemed like a promising place. Smiling, she sent out invites to Naruto, Ashley, Kaidan, and Tali, before calling up the Citadel registry info, using it to find Garrus and Wrex and sending invites to them as well.

 _Research Dig, Therum_

Dr. Liara T'Soni frowned quietly, carefully wiping the dirt away from the Prothean artifact that had been brought back to the campsite, her tongue sticking out slightly as she concentrated on her work. The asari archeologist very gently brushed the dirt off, exchanging the brush for a tiny chisel which she used to gently pick at some of the hardened dirt that had crusted onto the artifact. Finished, she smiled as she slowly picked up the artifact in gloved hands, looking it over.

Like all her species, Liara had blue tinted skin, hers being a light grayish-blue in color, with vivid blue eyes, a light sprinkle of freckles across her nose and cheekbones, and a pair of unique markings above her eyes that resembled human eyebrows. She was also very young by asari standards, being only a hundred and six years old. Despite this though, she was already an up and coming member of the archeologist community, with a couple of papers published regarding her theories on Protheans.

And now she was on Therum, taking part in an excavation of the Prothean ruins that had been discovered on the planet almost two decades earlier. She remembered the uproar that had been caused when the Systems Alliance not only discovered the ruins, but discovered a living, breathing person kept in stasis from the Prothean era. How she wished that she had already graduated at the time and could have been part of the team to arrive here shortly after the humans discovery. But now, she settled for being part of the team that was helping to excavate more of the ruins found. Already they had discovered a large elevator in a massive shaft, one that would perhaps lead them to more undiscovered rooms, even perhaps a new research facility.

She let out a sigh as she set the artifact down, and began the process of labeling the artifact, adding descriptions of its appearance to the data entry. As well as preliminary theories on its origin and meaning. With that done, she began to move to the next artifact, only to blink as her omni-tool beeped. Bringing it up, she activated it, finding she had a new message. When she saw the sender was her mother though, she frowned and ignored it, as she had the past three messages her mother had sent. She knew her mother didn't entirely approve of her field of work, believing Liara would be better suited in a career in politics, like she had done. But Liara couldn't deny her passion, her need to find and understand the Prothean culture. And she wouldn't give up her dream just because her mother didn't approve.

Moving on to the next artifact, she felt her mind drifting to earlier that day, when she had been called to the main housing shelter to witness something. She had arrived in time to see a live recording from the Citadel, where apparently the Council had granted Spectre status to the first human ever. Liara had to admit that she wasn't that excited by it, as it wasn't something that interested her that much. Though she would admit that the human in question was rather attractive. Liara had always found it interesting how much humans resembled the asari in appearance, as they were one of the few races in the galaxy that did, alongside the batarians and the drell. But ultimately, while the event was obviously quite a historical one and very important to her human colleagues, she found herself quickly returning to her work after the video ended, while several of her colleagues had begun talking animatedly about what they had witnessed.

She smiled to herself, pushing those thoughts from her mind. Ultimately, it didn't really matter to her what happened with Spectres and the Council. None of it affected her, and she was quite content to continue to plumb the secrets of the Protheans, and prove herself to her colleagues and professors. She hummed quietly as she began cleaning the artifact in her hands, happily in her little world.

Elsewhere, Matriarch Benezia frowned, closing her omni-tool before straightening her dress out and moving regally to Saren's quarters to report to him. She entered, finding him quietly brooding. "You summoned me, Lord Saren?" She asked.

"Yes. Due to the actions of both that damn quarian, and this Alicia Shepard, I was exposed to the Council, and my Spectre status stripped. I want this human eliminated. You have contacts on the Citadel?" He asked.

As she nodded, Saren continued. "Order them to kill her at the first opportunity. I don't want her becoming a problem."

"Yes, Lord Saren. I'll get to it immediately," she said, bowing her head. Before she could leave, he spoke up.

"What is the status of our investment on Noveria?" He demanded.

She frowned slightly. "We have not received a new report from our research team on Noveria. Their last report indicating though that everything was going according to schedule. I will wait a couple more days, before demanding an update report."

"Fine then. Leave me," he said, waving her off.

Benezia nodded and bowed her head, before leaving Saren to his brooding.

 _Flux Nightclub_

"Thanks for coming guys. Glad you all accepted my invites," Alicia said, sitting at a table inside the Flux nightclub. Around them, club music was pounding, as people drank and ate, talking happily with their friends, or getting out on the dance floor and moving to the music. In an upper level, gamblers played on the quasar machines, a game similar to Blackjack from Earth, except in slot machine form.

Sitting at the table with her was Naruto, Kaidan, and Ashley, all in civilian clothes. Garrus was there as well, also in civilian clothing, while Wrex and Tali were both in their armors, the latter because she couldn't leave it, and the former because he didn't want to.

Alicia grinned as she raised her drink up. "First off, I wanted to thank all of you, who helped me to not only expose Saren, but ultimately, help me become a Spectre. Tonight's little celebration is not just about me, but is about all of you as well," she said.

"Heh, I'll drink to that," Wrex said, raising his rather large mug up, and knocking it with the other's drinks, before downing it in one long gulp. The others all drank from their drinks as well, except for Tali, who instead had special tubes filled with water or other drinks, which she introduced to the mouth port of her suit, thus allowing her to eat and drink without leaving or opening up her suit. This also allowed her to carefully filter everything she ate and drank, to prevent illnesses.

As they finished drinking, Alicia grinned at them. "So yeah, tonight we're here to celebrate exposing Saren and me being a Spectre, but I actually did have an alternative reason for asking you all here," she said, causing them all to look at her. "We've all fought together, even if in some cases it was just for one or two firefights. But even so, we've fought alongside each other, and I think we've done quite well. Not only that, but we all have a common enemy: Saren."

"Okay, but so what?" Garrus asked, a little bitter about being suspended still. Though he was doing his best not to let that ruin the moment.

"So, I think you all can guess what my first job as a Spectre is," she said. "I'm going to be hunting Saren down, and I'm going to need a team to help me out. A team that I can not only count on, but is a bit unorthodox and can operate outside the normal procedures. Tali, you're an expert on geth, so you'd definitely be an asset on this. Wrex, you're not only dangerous, but experienced, and that's something that would be a big asset. And Garrus, you've shown calm under fire and pretty good marksmanship skills. My point is, I'd like you three to join me, Naruto, Kaidan, and Ashley in my hunt for Saren. Thoughts?" She asked them.

Tali shifted a bit, finishing up her drink tube. "Well…I was planning to ask if I could join your team. It would be my way of repaying you and Naruto for all you've done for me," she said. "So I guess I'm saying, I accept. If you don't mind," she said.

Garrus leaned back in his chair for a moment, before nodding. "I'm in," he said. "C-Sec suspended me for the assault on Chora's Den, and I'd much rather be out in the galaxy doing good then sitting around doing nothing. So if you'll have me, I'm with you," he said.

Alicia blinked at that. "They suspended you? I'm sorry that our adventure got you in trouble," she said, as Naruto nodded in agreement.

Wrex just huffed, draining his mug. "Let me ask you this, Shepard. We going to have a lot of fights? Good ones, with challenges?"

"I would think so, considering we're probably going to be fighting lots of geth and whoever else is on Saren's payroll. So I'd say so, yes," Alicia said.

"Fine then. Just give me a place to bunk, some good square meals, and plenty of fights, and I'll join up," Wrex said.

Ashley was frowning a bit though. "Not to be a downer, but do you think Udina or the Alliance brass will go for this, skipper?" She asked.

Alicia grinned at her. "I'm a Spectre, aren't I? If I think they're necessary for my mission, there's not much they can say, is there?" She asked.

Ashley blinked then shrugged. "Got me there," she said.

Alicia just kept grinning, signaling for another rounds of drinks. Once the new drinks arrived, she raised her drink. "To the new team!" she said.

The others raised their drinks. "To the new team," they all said.

As they drank, they were unaware of a figure watching them, said figure activating their omni-tool as they watched the group. "Target sighted. Waiting for orders," they said.

" _Watch them for the moment. Await for further orders,_ " answered the person on the other side.

"Confirmed," the figure said, before fading into the shadows as they continued to watch the new Spectre and her new team.

* * *

 **So here's the new chapter. Glad I finally got it done. I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **I'm sorry if the content is not as good, but I'm adjusting to my new situation. I hope this is still good though.**

 **Not a whole lot to say, other than things are…going alright at the moment. Also, I'm contemplating starting my own original story, so we'll see what happens.**

 **Anyways, special thanks to a7xfanatic11 and Kyuubi123 for their efforts in betaing my fanfic.**

 **Till next time!**


	10. Anchors Aweigh

**Well, I'm quite happy that so many of you seemed to enjoy my decisions in the last chapter, staging an early rescue of Tali and exposing Saren at the trial itself, rather than after the fact. Thank you all for your reviews.**

 **Not really anything new to report at the moment, so I guess I'll be on with the chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mass Effect. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Bioware respectively. This is a nonprofit fan made crossover fic. Please support the official releases.

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **Anchors Aweigh**

Alicia blinked, looking between Anderson and Udina as she stood in the human embassy, having been summoned there on 'urgent business'. She had barely been able to grab a cup of coffee and an aspirin for the headache she had from the previous night's celebration before rushing over, to find out what she had been summoned for.

The news she had just been told, however, had done a far better job making her forget her headache. "You're giving me command of the _Normandy_?" She asked, trying to make sure she had heard them correctly.

"Correct. You're in need of a ship of your own, now that you're a Spectre," Udina stated, as he handed Alicia a data pad. "And the _Normandy_ is the perfect ship for your mission."

Anderson nodded in agreement as he elaborated. "She's the fastest capital ship in the Alliance Navy, but she's also quiet, and in your hunt for Saren, you're going to want both. But what's more is you know the crew. Most of them are transferred from the _Tokyo_ , so they're familiar with you. And those who aren't are some of the best and brightest humanity has to offer. She'll be the perfect ship for you."

Alicia frowned as she read over the data pad, before looking at Anderson. "But she's your ship sir. I can't take your command from you right after you got her," she said, setting the pad down. "Wouldn't it be better to have a more experienced officer in command of the ship, while I handle the hunt for Saren?"

"Unfortunately, we cannot allow that to happen now that you're a Spectre. You are still a member of the Alliance, Shepard, and are answerable to Alliance Command and humanity, but you're also a Spectre. This is your mission, and you must be able to operate your ship freely as you hunt down Saren," Udina said firmly, arms crossed.

"Besides, it's about time I retire from field duty," Anderson said, though the very slight hitch in his voice indicated he didn't entirely agree with that assessment. "I'm getting a bit too long in the tooth to be gallivanting about the galaxy. Anyways, I'll still be able to offer aid, as I've been offered the position of military attaché to the human embassy here on the Citadel. I can offer you advice and information. Especially regarding Saren."

Alicia frowned as she heard that, crossing her arms as she leaned back on one leg. "That's something I've been meaning to ask sir. You seem to have a fair amount of knowledge on Saren. Can I ask how you know him?"

Anderson glanced down slightly, before looking up at her. He was about to speak when Udina interrupted him. "That is not important right now. What is important is making sure you're prepared for your mission. Your ship is undergoing final preparations, as the last of the systems are checked and the supplies are being loaded onboard. I suggest you make sure everything is in order, since you're the new ship captain," he said, before pulling out another data pad. "We also have a list of Alliance Marine and Navy combat specialists who I'm sure will make an excellent ground team for your mission. If you'd like to peruse through them and-."

"No thanks. I've got a ground team already," Alicia interrupted, smirking at the surprise look on Udina's face as she called up the dossiers of her ground crew on her omni-tool and forwarded them to him. Her smirk remained in place as she saw him calmly looking over the first three, only for his eyes to shoot open at the last three on her list.

"You cannot be serious Shepard?! You cannot take alien nationals onto the Alliance's most advanced warship!" Udina snapped, glaring at her as she shrugged.

"I need a team that I can rely on, but who are also unorthodox. This is not going to be a straightforward operation, ambassador. You might have found the best Alliance operatives to make up my ground team, but how many of them have experience in the Traverse? How many of them have experience handling geth?" Alicia asked, indicating her choices. "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya is not only an experienced engineer, but also has more knowledge about the geth then we do. Urdnot Wrex not only brings a lot of power and strength to the squad, but more years of experience then the rest of the team put together. Garrus Vakarian had relatively high scores during his training in combat tech programs and marksmanship skills, both of which I think are of value against the geth. They all bring something of value to the table. What's more, I've fought with Garrus and Wrex already, as have Captain Shepard, Lieutenant Alenko, and Sergeant Williams. It might have been for one battle, but we were able to work together fairly well. And ultimately, this isn't your decision, ambassador. This is my mission, as the Spectre of the Council, but also the commander of the _Normandy_ ," she finished.

Udina just gaped at her, before growling and tossing the data pad aside. "Fine. But if this falls apart, it is on your head," he snapped, turning away and storming off.

Anderson watched him go, before turning to Alicia. "You really seem to enjoy antagonizing him," he said with a chuckle. "Not that I don't mind."

"He makes it far too easy," Alicia said with a grin, before growing serious. "So, do you want to tell me now how you know Saren?"

Anderson let out a sigh, sitting down in a chair. "It was close to twenty years ago. Not that long after that whole business with your brother," he said. "I…was nominated as a candidate for the first human Spectre."

Alicia blinked in surprise at that. "You were? How come I never heard about this?"

"It was kept secret from the public. Only the Council and high-level Alliance officials knew about it. They didn't want to cause a scandal about humanity being favored over anyone else, what with everything that was going on regarding Therum and your brother. It would only be when I was made a Spectre that the news would be released. Unfortunately, the Spectre observing me was Saren Arterius. We were sent on a mission to take down a rogue batarian scientist. He was hiding in a refinery, with perhaps two dozen guards. The two of us split up, to maximize our ability to infiltrate the facility. The next thing I knew, explosions rang out throughout the facility. The scientist and his guards were killed, but the smoke from the refinery going up drifted to a nearby worker camp. There were hundreds there who died from the smoke, and more who were seriously crippled from pollutants and toxins they inhaled. It was an utter disaster," the aged captain said, rubbing his forehead.

Alicia could only stare at him in horror. "Saren blew the facility?! Why?"

"He stated in his report that I blew our cover, and he was forced to destroy the refinery to complete the mission. My own report stated that no alarm had been raised, and there was no sign that our presence had even been detected yet. It was my word against his, which would already have been bad enough for me, since he was the star Spectre of the Council. But after the incident with the reparation demands for Shanxi, the Council had no desire to create another scandal. The entire incident was labeled an 'industrial accident', and my chances at entering the Spectres were ended. That is how I know Saren. He's a twisted murderer with a hatred for humanity. You've already seen the lengths he'll go to in order to discredit or hurt us," Anderson said.

"Yeah, I have. First hand," Alicia said, eyes closed as memories of Eden Prime surfaced. She quickly opened her eyes, determination in those blue orbs. "All the more reason to take the son of a bitch down then."

"Be careful Alicia," Anderson said, dropping formalities as he leaned forward. "Saren is very dangerous. Not just because of who he's allied with, but the man himself. He's a highly skilled combatant, but also a biotic. Turian biotics are somewhat rare, and they're usually very well trained. He'll be a dangerous foe to fight in person."

Alicia grinned cockily at him. "That's what I've got my team for," she said, before nodding quietly. "I won't underestimate him."

"Good," Anderson said, standing up. "You should go finish preparations. We'll likely have our first lead for you to follow soon, so you'll want to make sure everyone is ready."

"Yes sir," Alicia said, saluting him. He returned the salute with a smile.

"Good luck Shepard," he said, as she nodded, turning and leaving out the door.

Outside the human embassy, Alicia brought up her omni-tool, setting it to transmit to her squad. "Listen up everyone. The _Normandy_ is undergoing final system checks right now. I want the squad to meet up near the Wards access. Tali, Garrus, you two are in need of some weapons and armor, so we're going on a little shopping trip for you two, before we starting getting squared away onboard the ship. I'm setting the meeting point to you all, so be there in the next twenty minutes. Alicia out."

Ending her comm message, she hummed to herself as she made her way to the nearest skycab, unaware of the eyes that were watching and following her as she accessed the holographic control to summon one. The figure quietly followed, their eyes locking onto the command console and glowing red, before their vision zoomed in, seeing the destination she was punching in. Quickly the figure took off, eyes returning to normal, as Alicia waited for a skycab to arrive.

Elsewhere, Tali blinked as she heard the message transmitted to her, as well as Naruto. "What is she talking about?" She asked him, indicating her shotgun, which had finally been given to her from Customs.

Naruto looked at it, and blinked as he glanced over it. "Tali…that thing is ancient. And it looks like one good blow would break it in half," he said, nodding to the weapon. It was an old turian shotgun, out of service for close to twenty years. The frame of the weapon had been patched, soldered, and oiled many times, and dented in several places. The barrel showed signs of having been caved in slightly on one side, and then the caved in part pushed back into position slightly roughly.

Tali shifted a bit in the chair she was sitting. "Well…yes, but I assure you, it is quite reliable. I'd bet my life on it," she said.

Naruto looked at the shotgun again, before shaking his head. "Tali, we're going to take that shotgun to Williams. She specializes in weapons maintenance. If she gives it a bill of service, fine. If not, you're getting a new shotgun."

Tali just sighed, her silvery eyes rolling behind her mask. "Fine, fine," she said. "But I don't see the point. It's a perfectly good shotgun," she said, patting the shotgun. Which caused part of the stock to fall off, making both Naruto and Tali stare at it. "Maybe…she could at least fix it up?" Tali asked in embarrassment.

Naruto just chuckled as he gently picked up the piece. "I'm sure she could…and you can keep it as a memento, while using your new shiny shotgun," he said.

Tali just sighed, head hanging down, as she muttered. "Fine," she said in annoyance. "Let's get going."

Naruto chuckled as the two of them headed out, to go join Alicia in the Wards.

Alicia, having already set out, was the first to reach the point she had indicated, and was currently waiting there, dressed in her fatigues. She had barely settled against the wall when a blonde man with a moustache and chin beard approached her excitedly.

"You're…you're her! You're Alicia Shepard, the first human Spectre!" He said excitedly. "My name is Conrad Verner, and I'm a huge fan! Can I have your autograph?" He asked excitedly.

Alicia blinked, but smiled. "Sure, no harm in that," she said, as she took the notebook he held out to her, writing her name in it.

"Oh wow, this is so incredible! Thank you so much! I can't wait to show my wife this!" He said, rushing off excitedly.

Alicia just sighed as she glanced around quietly, trying to see any of her comrades and hoping they hadn't seen that, only for her to mentally stiffen at the sight of an armed asari about thirty feet away, glancing in her direction. She didn't give any indication she saw, as she continued to casually glance around. Soon enough, she picked out another asari, a turian, a salarian, and a human. All of them were either armed, or trying to conceal their weapons. She was thankful there wasn't a krogan in the group.

She continued to glance around every so often, looking for cover. She wasn't armed, not expecting the need for it, but it seemed someone, probably Saren, was making it necessary. Seeing an empty shop not that far off, she slowly pushed off of the wall she had been leaning against, and began casually strolling in that direction. The armed people she had picked out all began to move as well, slowly converging towards her.

Alicia did her best to remain calm and not speed up, before suddenly turning and throwing a biotic throw towards the asari ahead of her. She instantly threw herself into the shop, smashing through the front window.

The asari, caught unaware, was blasted back into another stall, causing people to yell and scream in surprise , some moving to help the asari, others running away.

The other mercs all cursed, weapons coming up and starting to fire on the storefront, as Alicia crouched inside, panting softly as she activated her comm. And connecting to C-Sec. "This is Lieutenant Commander Alicia Shepard of the Alliance! I am under fire from unknown armed assailants, and currently am unarmed! Sending coordinates now!"

Switching to her 'squad' she winced as a round ripped through the wall near her head. "Guys, this is Alicia! I'm under fire here from unknown enemy assailants! Approach the rendezvous point with caution!" She shouted, before rising up long enough to throw a shockwave towards the mercenaries, who quickly dodged out of the way.

Her comm crackled, and she soon heard Naruto's voice. " _We're coming in Alicia! Two minutes at most!_ "

" _We'll be about a minute or two after that Shepard!_ " Kaidan's voice was heard after that.

Alicia just shook her head. "Let's hope I last that long," she said.

The asari who had been thrown into the stall was slowly pulling herself out when a shadow moved over her. She looked up, her eyes widening and her mouth opening to scream, only for a flash of light to appear and she was left gurgling, purple blood spurting from her throat.

Alicia was forced to dodge to the side, as a shotgun blast ripped through the wall she had been crouching behind. She rose up, throwing out another throw at the mercenaries, watching it slam into the turian, who rolled on the ground, but started to get back up after a few moments. She cursed, dropping back down as more weapons ripped through the wall and the air where she had been standing. She crouched down, panting as she felt some of the drain of her biotic use. She was about to stand up and launch another attack, when she heard yells, and the gunfire now aimed elsewhere. She slowly leaned up enough to look over the wall, before her eyes widened.

A cloaked figure was spinning around the turian, a sword stabbing through the alien's chest and quickly being removed as they threw up an arm covered in armor, a biotic barrier appearing between them and incoming fire. The barrier shield was then launched towards the salarian, who was staggered, only for the figure to appear under him, stabbing up through the salarian's throat and head, yanking the sword out and spraying orange blood all over the floor. The figure leaped, spinning in the air, an armored foot slamming down on the human before the sword stabbed through his back. Pulling it out, they turned to the last asari, who was trembling as she backed away in fear. The figure swung their sword, flicking the blood from it, before suddenly dashing forward. The asari screamed, throwing her weapon away, as the sword swung down at her, only for it to stop mere centimeters from her throat.

The figure stood there, staring at her, before the hood they were using to cover their head turned towards where Alicia was moving out of the shop. They turned back to the asari, before speaking in an artificially distorted voice. " _You will stay here, and confess to everything you did and were planning to do. If you don't…I'll finish what I started here,_ " they said, before the blade flashed, and the asari shrieked, hand shooting up to her neck where a tiny cut had appeared. The figure swung their sword around, sheathing it, before they turned towards Alicia.

The human Spectre blinked, as she took them in. They were clearly either a human or batarian, as their body structure matched that, but they were clearly a male, ruling out asari as well. The person's face was shrouded by the cloak they wore and a metallic breather mask over their lower face. The only thing she could make out was two eyes, glowing red with three black markings. "Who are you?" She demanded, tense and ready to fire off biotics if she needed to.

The figure looked at her, before speaking. " _You will know who I am when you need to. All you need to know is today, I saved you. That is all_ ," they said. He suddenly turned away, dashing off into the crowd before Alicia could even move.

Alicia frowned as she stepped forward, trying to find the cloaked figure, but they were already gone. Shaking her head, she turned back to the asari, who was trembling as she sat on the ground, in shock from almost dying. In the distance, she could hear the shouts of C-Sec officers, and see her brother rushing towards her. Letting out a sigh, she waited for them to arrive.

Naruto immediately moved to her, glancing around at the corpses and the frightened asari at Alicia's feet. "What the hell happened here?" He asked, eyes scanning the corpses and blood splatter. "This isn't your handiwork."

Alicia didn't respond, waiting for the C-Sec officers to arrive. When one of them, a salarian, moved to her, she called up her holo ID on her omni-tool. "Lieutenant Commander Alicia Shepard, Alliance Navy and Council Spectre," she said. "This is my brother, Captain Naruto Shepard of the Alliance Marine Corps. The asari is one of the people who attacked me…as are all the corpses," she stated.

The salarian looked over her ID, and nodded as he took in her statement. "What happened here commander?" He asked, as the other officers secured the area, being sure not to disturb the corpses and scene.

Naruto stood by Alicia, as she began to speak. "I was waiting here for some of my colleagues when I noticed several suspicious persons around me. They were either visibly armed, or attempting to conceal their firearms. I moved over to that store in a casual manner as they moved in on me, before ducking into it for cover, using my biotics to send that assailant there into that stall," she said, pointing to where the other asari lay dead. "Afterwards I was attempting to fight off the assailants with only my biotics after calling in the attack to C-Sec as well as my squad members, when I heard yelling, and the enemy fire switch from me to some new target. When I peered over the wall, some armored figure wearing a cloak and hood was engaging the assailants with a sword and biotics. I can tell you that it was most likely a human male, due to his body structure, though there is a possibility it was a batarian male. He slew all the assailants except that asari, who he left alive for you to interrogate, I'm guessing. Then he disappeared off into the crowds," she finished, pointing to the now handcuffed asari before pointing to the direction the cloaked figure had fled.

The salarian nodded as he wrote down the details. "Was there anything distinguishable or unique about this individual? Besides their choice of weapon, apparel, and that they are a biotic user?" He asked her.

"Yeah…the strangest thing…when he looked at me… I swear his eyes were glowing red. Like almost a blood red, with three black marks in each eyes," she told him.

That made Naruto start, as he quickly moved in front of Alicia. "Are you certain that is what his eyes looked like? You're absolutely sure?" He asked her, making her blink at her brother in surprise.

"Yeah, that's what they looked like. Why?" She asked him, confused.

Naruto let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead. "Because I know of someone who had those exact same eyes. Sasuke Uchiha, a Cerberus operative who posed as a soldier under my command when I was stationed at Watson. He claimed they were a cybernetic enhancement."

Alicia frowned as she heard that, crossing her arms. "A Cerberus operative saved me?" She asked in confusion. "Why?"

"A Cerberus Operative? You're certain?" The salarian asked. When Naruto nodded, he quickly turned as he contacted C-Sec headquarters, as Naruto turned to his sister.

"Well…in a twisted way, it makes sense," Naruto told her. "Cerberus has always claimed they are interested in the advancement and protection of humanity, despite their extreme methods and terrorist actions. So what would be more important than protecting the first human Spectre? Most likely they had someone watching you the instant it was announced."

"Well, that makes me feel all warm and safe. Nothing like having terrorists watching your back," Alicia said sarcastically, before placing a hand on her chin. "Uchiha…that was the guy who tried to steal the Javelin missiles, right? When Williams was injured and you were working with that Spectre?"

Naruto just let out a sigh and nodded, turning his head as he heard some arguing nearby. A couple of the C-Sec officers seemed to be dealing with a somewhat irate looking Ashley as Kaidan was trying to pull her back, while Wrex, Tali, and Garrus stood a bit off, watching the interaction. "I think we should go save our Gunnery Sergeant from ending up ina C-Sec cell," he said, as Alicia chuckled.

"Yeah, that wouldn't look too good, would it?" She asked, as the two moved to handle the situation, unaware of the cloaked figure watching them from the top of a nearby store.

" _You owe me now, vulzan,_ " Sasuke said with a smirk behind his face mask, before tapping a few keys and disappearing under a tactical cloak.

 _Sovereign_

Saren frowned as he held his head, struggling to make sense of the images inside his mind. The beacon on Eden Prime had granted him what he wanted, visions from the Protheans he was sure would lead him to the Conduit. But the problem was the visions were a jumbled mess that he could not make heads or tails of. He had thought with time perhaps he would be able to better understand the images, and that they would begin to sort themselves out. But even now, the images remained the same amalgamation of nonsense that they had been before.

Even an attempt by one of Benezia's followers to meld and sort the images had failed, as they too had been unable to sort the images out or comprehend them. Leading Saren to his predicament. He snarled angrily, looking up as Benezia approached him. "What is it?" He snapped angrily.

"I have news, my lord. Both bad and good," she said. "The bad news is that the team sent to eliminate the human Spectre was thwarted. All but one of them was killed, and the remaining one was taken into custody by C-Sec. Alicia Shepard lives," she said.

Saren snarled angrily, standing to his feet, and approaching her. "And what is the good news?" He asked in a dangerously low tone.

Benezia remained passive, before speaking. "My daughter has studied Protheans for many years. Even now, she is part of an archeological dig on the planet Therum. I believe that her knowledge would be most beneficial to your cause. Especially if she was brought to see the light of your wisdom," she said. "I can go and retrieve her discreetly, if you wish."

Saren studied her for a few moments, before shaking his head. "No. I will deploy a team to retrieve her, and all the information she has gathered."

Benezia was about to speak when her face contorted, her eyes widening in horror, her mouth working as she shivered and spasmed, only to calm down. "Of course my lord," she said.

Saren frowned as he studied her, his mandibles twitching briefly. "It would seem you need to spend more time here. Do any of your commandos still doubt our work?"

"No my lord. All of them understand the importance of what we're doing," Benezia stated.

"Very good. You may go," Saren said, as he turned back to his seat. Benezia bowed her head and left, as Saren watched her go, frowning slightly. He sat down, knowing he would need to watch her closely, for anymore slips like that.

 _Docking Bay 442_

Alicia watched as the last of the supplies was being loaded through the airlock onto the _Normandy_ , the ship undergoing final systems check as the last of the crew reported onboard. After the incident in the Wards the previous day, and after dealing with C-Sec, followed by a rather irate Ambassador Udina, and the Council, Alicia had finally been able to return to shopping for Garrus and Tali. Garrus was now outfitted with a Phaeston assault rifle, a turian weapon that was the mainstay of the turian military forces. It had proven to be so reliable that instead of replacing it with a brand new weapon, the Hierarchy had insisted instead for upgraded versions to match the newer weapons of other races. The one Garrus wielded was a Mk2, an older version no longer used by the military, but was still in circulation amongst civilian, police, and mercenary forces. He had also purchased a suit of older turian combat armor at a surplus store, though Tali promised that with a few components and enough time, she'd be able to make the armor's shielding and plating strong enough to withstand current enemy weapon systems. Other than that, Garrus planned to take a sniper rifle and sidearm from the _Normandy's_ armory, after Ashley modified the grips for the more unique turian hand.

As for Tali herself, she had tried to persuade Alicia not to buy anything for her, only to be handed an M-27 Scimitar assault shotgun. It was a weapon that was well known in mercenary circles after the Eclipse mercenary band commissioned its construction and it began to spread amongst the mercenary bands. The weapon was a rapid firing shotgun, thanks to its dual mass effect generators. It was also relatively light and easy to handle, due to being designed for the asari and salarians who made up the Eclipse mercenary band, which also made it a relatively good weapon for Tali and her smaller stature. She also had the pistol Naruto had bought for her earlier, which completed her weapon load out. Though Alicia had also gone through the trouble of buying enhanced shield generator components for Tali's suit as well.

That had been about it for what they could purchase at the moment, thanks to the Council's initial funding for Alicia's mission. Each Spectre was given funding for their mission, with the ability to request additional funds when required, provided the Spectre could prove their need for the funds. Thankfully, the rest of the ground squad was either already outfitted with their own equipment, or would be utilizing the weapons and armor found in the ship's armory.

A portion of the remaining budget had gone into purchasing a piece of equipment for the Normandy, one that was being installed currently: a decontamination unit for the VIP quarters on the _Normandy_. Alicia had decided that due to Tali's unique physiology, she would require the services of a clean room for suit maintenance as well as rest and relaxation purposes. The decontamination unit, similar to the one mounted in the ship's main airlock, had already been installed, and the teams were finishing final decontamination of the room to ensure that there was absolutely no germs or viruses inside.

With these final preparations being completed, Alicia knew it was only a matter of time before the ship was ready to get underway. The problem was Alicia had no idea where to go, as so far neither the Council or the human Embassy had been able to turn up any data or leads for her to track down.

She quietly shook her head, watching as the ship's supply and requisition officer check off the last of the supplies on his checklist, and approached. "Ma'am, all supplies are accounted for. The ship is stocked," he said, saluting her.

Alicia nodded as she saluted him back. "Carry on then ensign," she said, as the man moved towards the airlock to board the ship. Alicia was about to follow when she heard the soft whoosh of elevator doors opening. Turning, she saw Udina and Anderson step out of the docking bay access elevator with two other Alliance officers in tow. Wondering what was going on now, she stepped forward. "Captain Anderson," she said, saluting him. When he returned the salute, she turned to Udina. "Ambassador Udina. May I ask what's going on?"

"We finally have a lead for you to follow," Udina said. "The Council revealed to us that Matriarch Benezia, the asari who has sided with Saren, has a daughter. One who is an archeologist specializing in Prothean artifacts and ruins. She could be a potential connection to Benezia and Saren, if not an ally to them."

Alicia nodded at that, excited to get her first lead. "Do you know where she is? Or will this be a bit of a wild goose chase?" She asked.

Anderson spoke up this time. "She was recorded as being part of an archeological dig that was headed to Therum, in the Knossos System of the Artemis Tau Cluster," he said, only to stop as he saw Alicia react at that, a bemused look on her face.

"Wow…Therum huh?" She asked, finding it a bit ironic. "Guess I'll get to see where my mom found Naruto then."

"You are not there for a sightseeing tour. You are there are official Council and Alliance business," Udina reminded her, as she shrugged. "I take it your, 'non Alliance' squad members, have signed the Non-Disclosure Agreements?" He asked.

Alicia nodded at that. "They did. I forwarded copies to the embassy as well as Alliance command. They all agreed they won't reveal any classified information, both regarding the mission or Alliance technologies and other such information. Anything else?" She asked, wanting to get underway.

Anderson stepped in at this time, retaking control of the conversation. "There's something else before you leave on your mission," he said, indicating the two Alliance officers, who moved to either side of the group, acting as witnesses for what was about to happen. "It has been decided that your actions on Eden Prime, and in exposing the actions of Saren Arterius, have earned you a promotion. Since we are somewhat rushed, this will be an informal ceremony. Lieutenant Commander Alicia Shepard, please step forward."

Alicia did so, as Anderson pulled a small box from the pocket of his uniform. "In recognition of your service to Earth, the Systems Alliance, and humanity in general, it is my pleasure to promote you to the rank of commander. Congratulations, Commander Shepard," Anderson said, as he pulled open the box, pulling out a silver 'oak leaf' insignia, the insignia for Navy Commanders.

Alicia stood at attention, as Anderson moved forward, removing the bronze insignia from her uniform and pinning the new silver one onto her uniform. As he stepped back, she saluted him, and he returned it, before shaking her hand. "You've earned it," he told her.

Alicia smiled and nodded. "Thank you sir. Is there anything else?"

"No commander. That is all," Anderson said, stepping back. "You have your orders, and your first lead. You've got your squad and supplies. All that's left…is this. Good luck," he said with a warm smile.

"Yes commander. Best of luck," Udina said, though it was not as heartfelt as Anderson's was.

Alicia gave a nod at that, before turning and moving along the walkway to the airlock, as the group of four returned to the elevator. She stopped outside the outer hull door, pausing for a moment and taking a deep breath, before moving forward, the door opening and allowing her to step into the decontamination area.

When the decontamination cycle ended, she stepped onboard the ship proper. Turning, she found Lieutenant Pressly standing attention along with Naruto, with the rest of the crew on the CIC deck standing at attention at their stations, looking in their direction. Over the PA system, two rings of a bell could be heard, as Pressly saluted, followed by the crew. "Commanding Officer of _SSV Normandy_ arriving!" He reported, his voice being carried over the PA.

Alicia saluted to them, before speaking. "As you were." The crew dropped their salutes and returned to work at their stations, as Pressly approached her with datapad in hand.

"Ma'am, here is a full report on the ship's status, for your review," he said, as Alicia took it and began to read it over.

"Thank you lieutenant," she said, as Naruto stepped forward with a pad.

"Here is a report both on the status of the marine compliment, and your ground team, ma'am," he said in a professional tone, as Alicia also took that pad.

"Thank you captain. You're both dismissed," she said, as the two stepped back and saluted. She returned the salute and watched them walk off, before returning to the data pads and reading them, ensuring the ship was ready to go. Finding everything in order, she moved up to the helm, where Joker sat. "We ready to go?" She asked him.

"Just waiting for final clearance from flight control," he said, before turning to Alicia. "So, how does it feel to have the newest ship in the Navy under your command?"

"To be honest, I don't think I should be here," Alicia said to him. "Captain Anderson should be standing here, not me. This is…was his ship."

"Yeah well, at least I don't have to go through the trouble of breaking in a new commanding officer," Joker said, trying to lighten the mood. Alicia just gave him a dry chuckle.

"Careful Joker, you may wish you had a new captain by the time we're done here," she said, before taking in a deep breath. "I guess it's about time I address the crew."

Reaching pass Joker, she activated the PA system, before clearing her throat. "Good afternoon. This is Alicia Shepard, your new commanding officer. As I'm sure you've all realized by now, we're about to embark on a mission that is both unusual and urgent."

The crew was now all looking up, either at the helm if they were on the CIC or at the PA system if they were on the crew or hanger/engineering deck, as Alicia continued. "Four days ago, our colony on Eden Prime was attacked by the geth, led by the now rogue Spectre Saren Arterius. Our mission is to find him and either bring him in, or ensure he can no longer continue his plans. Our enemy has a head-start, and a large force under his command, but I am confident that we will rise to the occasion and take him down."

Several of the crew nodded in agreement, all standing a little taller as Alicia continued. "This is our chance to show the galactic community what humanity is truly capable of. Our chance to prove that we are ready and willing to serve and protect the galaxy, same as any other race."

"At this point, I'm sure that most of you have noticed the specialists I've recruited to aid us. They are all combat specialists who will be aiding us in bringing down Saren and his allies. I expect you all to treat them with respect and dignity, as you are representatives of both the Alliance and humanity. If anyone has any problems, they will be discussed in private with me," she stated.

"For now, return to your stations, and prepare to get underway. We'll be heading out soon. Ground team will please report to the briefing room. That is all," she said, ending the transmission over the PA.

Joker nodded as he heard her. "Not bad. I wouldn't suggest running for politics anytime soon though," he said.

"Don't worry. I'm not one for kissing babies," Alicia said, as she started to move away. "Let me know as soon as we have clearance to leave."

"Aye aye ma'am," Joker said, turning back to his consoles.

Alicia strolled purposefully towards the communication/briefing room, as around her the crew worked at their stations making final checks of their consoles and systems. She nodded to the two marines standing guard at the briefing room door before entering, finding Naruto already there since he had been on the CIC deck.

"Good speech sis," he said with a nod. She just smiled at him, taking her own seat as they waited for the others to arrive.

They soon arrived, filing in and moving to take seats. Alicia frowned slightly as she noted that Garrus, Wrex and Tali all chose to sit in the seats opposite from them, while Kaidan and Ashley sat on the same side as them. Shaking her head slightly, she stood. "Thank you all for coming. We've got our first lead on our mission," she said, as she keyed up an image on the holographic screen of a brown colored planet. "This is Therum. It's an Alliance colony in the Knossos system in the Artemis Tau cluster. The planet is littered with several major Prothean sites, as well as a couple energy refinery sites as well. Our interest however is this site," she said, as the image changed to a holographic 3D image of the planet, with one area highlighted. The image zoomed in, revealing a 3D image of a camp site outside a large ramp leading into a mountain tunnel.

"Our lead at the moment is an archeologist located at this site: Dr. Liara T'Soni, an asari archeologist who has been on site for close to two months now. She specializes in studying Prothean ruins and artifacts, with several papers and dissertations that have been published, but have not been widely acknowledged by the archeological community…at least according to the file on her," Alicia said, shaking her head slightly. "However, our interest in her is this: her mother is Matriarch Benezia, the second identified voice on the information Tali recovered from the geth. We do not know if she is allied with her mother or not, but at the moment she is our only lead. We'll be moving in to recover her and hopefully gain insight into who we are dealing with. The full team will be moving in, armed and ready to fight incase our asari scientist has some inhospitable friends. However, I do not want any itchy trigger fingers. We only go loud if we confirm enemy presence, understood?" She asked everyone.

"Yes ma'am," Ashley, Kaidan, and Naruto all said, as Garrus and Tali nodded in understanding, while Wrex just grunted.

Alicia gave a nod of confirmation at that. "Alright. In the meantime, I'd like to talk to you three," she told her alien squad members, turning to them. "I want you all to know here and now that if anyone is causing you three problems, I want to hear about it. I do not want you to hide it, and I do not want you to 'handle' it," she said, glancing at Wrex at the last part, who shrugged.

"Don't worry Shepard, I won't bang up your pretty new ship. Just keep your people out of my way, and everything will be fine," he grumbled. "Anything else?"

"No, that's all," she said, as Wrex grunted as he got up and started to stomp off, followed by most of the others. The only ones who remained were Tali and Naruto. Alicia blinked, turning to them. "Ummm…you both need something?"

"I…hope I'm not imposing," Tali started to speak with a nervous edge to her voice, "but…I wish to request an assignment to work in your engineering section while between missions. I don't want to be a burden on your ship and its resources, and I hope I can help out with the engineering team," she requested, shifting a bit nervously.

Alicia blinked in surprise at that. "Well you're hardly a burden on the ship, considering you're part of my ground team, but I suppose if you want to lend a hand onboard too, I won't turn it down. I'll contact Lieutenant Adams in engineering, and you can report to him. He'll give you a trial basis, and if things work out, I'm sure he'll be happy for your help," she said.

"Thank you Cap-I mean Commander Shepard," she said, bowing her head slightly, and heading off. Leaving just Naruto, who chuckled softly.

"She's quite the eager helper, isn't she?" Naruto asked, though it wasn't entirely a surprise to him. He had interacted with one or two quarians in the past, mostly ones on their Pilgrimages who went to an Alliance colony to help out. What he learned was that on the Migrant Fleet, everyone pulled their own weight. Even the officers and administrators got their hands dirty when it was necessary. And it seemed Tali was just as ready to keep herself busy and useful, even on an alien ship.

Alicia nodded quietly. "I just hope she doesn't run herself ragged. Last thing I need is her making a mistake on the ground team because she's exhausted from working in engineering. So what do you think of our first assignment?" She asked him.

Naruto sighed as he stood up, looking back at the now offline holographic emitters, remembering the images that had been on them. "I'll admit, this is going to be…interesting, to say the least. I wasn't really ever expecting to return to Therum. Then again, I don't remember much of it, beyond some flashes of what the Protheans did, and…waking up to see mom," he said, his voice growing quiet at the last part.

Alicia just smiled. "Well don't worry. If everything goes according to plan, this will be a fast simple mission. In and out. You won't have to worry about dredging up any memories you don't want to bring up," she said.

"Yeah, let's hope you're right," Naruto said, before shaking his head. "I should go make sure our gear and the Mako are checked out before we arrive. Last thing we'll need is to drop the Mako and find out the gun's aim is out of alignment," he said.

"Good idea. Can't wait to get behind the wheel of that bad boy," Alicia said with a grin, as Naruto flinched a bit, a hesitant grin appearing on his face.

"Oh good…you'll be driving," he said, trying not to let worry and fear into his voice. "Well I'll make sure the Mako is fully ready for when you…want to take it out for a spin." With that, he hurriedly left, his face shifting to one of anxiety and fear at the thought of his sister driving, memories of the last time he rode in a vehicle she piloted fresh in his mind.

 _SSV Kilimanjaro_

Captain Hannah Shepard smiled as yet another crew member of the Everest-class dreadnaught congratulated her on her daughter becoming humanity's first Spectre. As the man passed by her she let out a sigh, as that had been a rather common event for the past forty-eight hours, both from crew members on the ship and messages on her extranet account.

Entering her cabin, she groaned as she slid into her chair by her desk, rubbing her forehead quietly as she did so. Serving as the executive officer on the flagship of the Alliance 3rd fleet was rather stressful, but now she had to deal with everyone wanting to talk to her about her daughter, and wanting to get in contact with her. It reminded her of the days shortly after the Council gave her family custody of Naruto, as well as the weeks after the Skyllian Blitz, when she was hounded just because she was the mother of Naruto the vulzan, and then the two greatest heroes of Elysium's defense.

She smiled though, as she wouldn't change anything though, as while all the congratulations and bother was rather annoying, it made her feel proud of her children. They were growing up to be the best of herself and her husband, and they were proving to be a light in a galaxy that at time felt rather dark.

She turned to her desk, activating the computer on it and accessing her e-mail account. She immediately sighed, seeing quite a few messages from people she hadn't heard from or knew, all congratulating her. She immediately set up a template response, setting all those messages to receive that reply before deleting them. Looking through the rest, Hannah stopped and smiled as she found one with a video message. Opening it, she found a video message from Jiraiya.

" _Hannah, I know you've probably been bombarded with hundreds of messages saying this already, but I just wanted to say congratulations from me and Tsunade. We were absolutely amazed when we saw Alicia being made Spectre. I think Tsunade was torn between being absolutely proud, and being furious Alicia's going to be getting herself into even more trouble. We'll try to send a message to Alicia, but if you could make sure she knows we're proud of her, and we'll be wishing her plenty of luck out there. Also, we were thinking that next time you have shore leave we could meet up, and reminisce about the good old days. Let us know when we should meet up._ "

Hannah smiled at the thought, as she began typing out a reply to Jiraiya. It would be nice to meet up with him and Tsunade again. Maybe they would be able to swing it for Naruto and Alicia to join them. She glanced over to the side, seeing the picture frame of her family, currently showing an image of her, Malcolm, and their children in their younger years. She let out a soft sigh of nostalgia, gently kissing her fingers, and pressing them against Malcolm's image. "You'd be so proud of our children," she whispered softly. She smiled wistfully, moving back to her e-mail.

 _Therum_

Liara T'Soni could only tremble and wonder how things had gone so horribly wrong, as she hung suspended in some type of energy field inside the ruins the team she was a part of had been excavating. Outside, she could see geth working on trying to breach the security fields that were in place, as a krogan growled and paced back and forth in annoyance. She trembled slightly, as the krogan let out a sneer in her direction, threateningly pointing his shotgun at her, before turning away again.

She didn't know exactly how long she had been stuck here, but she couldn't believe it had been more than a day, even though it truly felt longer than that. She had been in the dig area, finishing cataloguing a couple of artifacts with two other researchers, when a frantic call on their omni-tool communications popped up. The heard researcher, Professor Rathea, had contacted them, yelling and screaming about geth. Just as suddenly the communication ended in an explosion.

The three of them had moved towards the elevators to investigate, when the geth started to drop down from above, folded up to survive the impact with the ground, before rapidly unfolding, weapons drawn. Liara had thrown herself into the ruins, trying to access a console that one of the human researchers had theorized was some type of security console. Her two colleagues, both humans, tried to follow her, but were brutally gunned down before her eyes. The geth had begun to advance towards her, but at the last moment, she managed to trigger the security field, causing a series of force fields to appear along all the openings into this ruined elevator shaft they had found.

Unfortunately, she must have triggered some type of security system, as she had found herself suddenly suspended in some type of energy bubble, which completely immobilized her from the neck down. And here she had been stuck, forced to watch the geth try to breach the force fields. When they had been joined by a krogan, who angrily ranted and raved and tried to smash through the field with brute force, she had been worried, but even he had failed. Though this didn't stop him from making threats that chilled her to the bone.

Now, she watched as one of the geth approached him, and began speaking in a series of clicks and stuttering noises, which the krogan somehow seemed to understand. "Fine, I'll contact them," he growled out, before turning and pointing to Liara. "You've caused me a lot of problems, asari. You better hope you die, because when I get my hands on you, you'll wish you were dead," he growled out, before stomping off, followed by a couple of the geth.

Liara could only shudder, tears in her eyes, as she thought of what fate lay in wait for her. She knew most likely everyone she had worked with for the past few weeks was dead, killed by the geth. And now she was likely trapped here, until she died of thirst or starvation. She looked up at the ceiling, as tears began to fall.

' _Please, someone…anyone…please come save me_ '

* * *

 **Wow. Sorry for the long wait folks, but this chapter actually was going to be longer than this. I had typed out most of my version of the Therum mission, and the chapter was nearing nearly 20k words, and I stopped and realized that the chapter really didn't flow together. It didn't feel right going from Alicia first launching immediately into Therum. So I moved everything regarding the Therum mission into a new chapter, and added the bit with Liara here at the end to wrap up this one.**

 **So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! And I either will immediately follow this chapter up with the Therum one, or I'll save that for after I've updated my other two fanfics, whichever idea seems to work best for both me, and you the readers/reviewers.**

 **Thanks go out again to my awesome beta's here, a7xfanatic11 and Kyuubi123. You guys are awesome.**

 **Till next chapter!**


	11. An Archeologist in Distress

**Well here we are with the mission to Therum. Hope you all enjoy this. I originally was going to have this part of the previous chapter, but it just didn't flow right with what I had and made the chapter insanely long.**

 **Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It'll be the squad's first time in combat against something a little more dangerous than thugs.**

 **So time to get going. Let's go!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mass Effect. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Bioware. This is a non-profit fan made work of fiction. Please support the official releases.

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **An Archeologist in Distress**

 _Artemis Tau Cluster_

The _Normandy_ shot through space, her faster than light, or FTL, engines burning brightly as she moved through the empty void between systems in the Artemis Tau Cluster, heading towards the Knossos System. Joker had reported to Alicia that their arrival time to Therum was expected to be roughly one hour, so she was gathering her ground team together for final equipment checks, as well as another briefing.

Currently, the squad of six were going over their weapons and armor with practiced eyes and hands, checking for any malfunctions, defects, or problems that could cause a weapon or system failure. All of them stopped as Alicia approached them.

"Alright. Before we get to Therum, I figured it would be important to hold one last major briefing. We already know our mission target area and our objective. But it's important we understand the enemy we'll be facing. Which is why I'm calling on our geth specialist to brief us on what she knows about the geth. Tali?" She asked, moving to the side.

Despite already knowing ahead of time Alicia wanted her to speak, the quarian engineer still felt nervous as she stepped forward. "Y-Yes, well…I can tell you everything I know about the geth, though some of the information I have might be dated," she started, shifting a bit nervously as she saw the unimpressed gaze of Wrex, and the stoic look Garrus was giving her. She took a deep breath, before continuing while bringing up a holographic image of a standard geth on her omni-tool. "The geth VI programming and processes were originally very simplistic and low level, as they were meant as a source of cheap manual labor. A single geth unit was only slightly more intelligent than your average maintenance mech. However, as we began to expand the number of geth units we created, and expand the number and complexity of their tasks, we modified the geth so that those operating within certain proximity of each other could network their programming together. They would be able to merge their processing power for simple programs and processes, freeing up more processing power to run more complex programming. Essentially, the more geth networked together, the more intelligent they became."

"That's how they grew intelligent enough to rebel against you, isn't it? Enough of them were networked together for them to start thinking on a more complex level. Because your people gave them that ability," Garrus said, causing Tali to flinch slightly. Both Ashley and Naruto turned to look at Garrus, who had the decency to look a bit abashed as Tali tried to continue.

"W-Well…the point is, the more geth we encounter, the more intelligent they're likely to be. We'll need to be careful, as they'll likely be able to employ strategic thinking in our battles with them," Tali said, fidgeting slightly with her hands now due to her nervousness.

"So the more of them we kill, the dumber they'll become?" Ashley asked, thinking they'd have an advantage over the geth.

Tali however shook her head. "Unfortunately, that isn't the case. My ancestors constructed the geth's mobile platforms with the ability to transfer their runtimes between platforms. We did this in order to ensure that if the hardware of a mobile platform was damaged beyond repair or destroyed, the VI program could be transferred into another platform, so we could at least save the 'intelligence' instead of having to completely replace it. The geth still have that in place, so even as we destroy them, the programs will simply transfer to the nearest platform. If anything, destroying the geth will make the surviving ones in the area more aggressive and dangerous, as each platform will grow more intelligent as more programs are transferred into it," she stated.

"Yeah, yeah, robots get smarter as we kill them, whatever. Just tell me where to shoot them," Wrex demanded, leaning forward on the cargo crate he was sitting on.

Alicia gave the krogan a glare, but he just waved it off as Tali felt her confidence drop even more. "W-Well ummm…a-as Commander Shepard and her ground team on Eden Prime can tell us, the majority of the geth aren't that hard to kill," she said, her voice quieter now. "I watched battle footage recorded on Eden Prime, as well as my own study of the platform I was able to gather the information on Saren from. Most of the geth platforms have been given some armor reinforcement and shields, but they shouldn't prove any more resilient than normal infantry or combatants. However, their weapons seem to be more advance and dangerous than most other races. So you'll want to be careful of that, as they'll likely be able to wear out our defenses faster than normal," she said.

"However, Commander Shepard ran into another type of unit on Eden Prime," she said, bringing up a new holographic image of a large geth armed with a cannon, with a tri-optic port. "I believe this is either some type of assault unit, or a command unit. From the combat footage, it is heavily armed, as well as armored. Concentrated fire power will be necessary to bring these down, or engaging them in close range with armor penetrating weapons. Commander Shepard's tactic was…inventive, to say the least. However, there is the possibility we will run into other combat models, so we should be prepared for the unexpected," she said.

Wrex just grunted, his eyes locked on the larger geth unit, anticipation evident on his face at fighting such a foe. Near him, Kaidan decided to ask a question he had. "Is there any other methods for engaging the geth? Can we hack them, like other mechanical units?"

"No…the geth programming is highly adaptable. Reports from our security forces during the geth rebellion indicated they were able to rapidly overcome hacking attempts. Standard overload attack programs will prove effective, and their weapons and shields will be vulnerable to sabotage and overloads, but hacking will do little against the geth. I would suggest focusing your tech abilities either on disrupting their shields or weapons, and simply destroying them with weapons," Tali said.

"Good. I'd hate to be bored fighting these things," Wrex stated, getting up. "So can we expect them on Therum?" He asked Alicia.

"It is possible, but there's no certainty. We don't know if this Dr. T'Soni is allied with Saren or not. We might see geth there protecting her, we might see them there to capture her, or there might not be any at all. But we should assume potential hostilities just in case," she replied. "If no one else has any questions, I think that's it. We should get ourselves squared away and ready to drop when we arrive."

The squad members nodded and returned to checking their weapons. Except Tali, who seemed to have pulled back from the group, looking down a bit. Alicia noticed this and moved over to her. "Tali, mind taking a look at my shotgun? I think there's a problem with the targeting programming," she said, holding up the currently folded up weapon.

Tali nodded, following the Spectre to a spot some feet away, before speaking. "Commander…I'm not sure if I'm well suited to be working on the ground with your team," the quarian said quietly. "I don't think Wrex or Garrus like or respect me that much and I wouldn't want to cause problems in the squad."

"I don't care what they think," Alicia said firmly, making Tali glance up to look her in the face. "I wanted you in my squad because you've got knowledge on the geth, but also because you're quick thinking and highly skilled in combat engineering. That move you pulled in Fist's office was ingenious, and you did it faster than any Alliance combat engineer I've served alongside. I believe you'll prove to be a valuable asset to the ground team. My brother certainly seems to think so as well. You're not going to prove us wrong, are you?" She asked.

Tali blinked and shook her head. "No ma'am!" She said, as Alicia smiled.

"Good. Now you just bring your A-game in the missions ahead, and leave dealing with Wrex and Garrus to me. Alright?" She asked.

Tali nodded at that, standing a bit taller as Alicia nodded in satisfaction. "Good…now can you actually look at my shotgun? There really is something up with the targeting program," she said a bit sheepishly, as Tali giggled and started to look over the shotgun with a diagnostic program on her omni-tool.

Naruto, watching them, let out a sigh of relief as he saw Tali go from seeming upset to looking more confident. He felt responsible for the quarian girl because she was largely in this mess because of him, or so he felt. He had seen her reactions to Garrus and Wrex's comments, how Garrus made her feel responsible for the geth's actions, while Wrex showed his utter indifference to Tali's knowledge and expertise. All of which seemed to make her feel worthless and guilty, given the defeated posture she had after the briefing. He glanced over to the krogan, knowing there was little he could say to change his mind. Wrex, like most krogan mercenaries, would respect only actions.

Glancing at Garrus though, he knew there was something he could do there. But he decided to wait, to see if Garrus and Tali had anymore problems in the future.

He turned back to his equipment, checking over the scope of his Viper sniper rifle, only to glance up as Ashley leaned over.

"So cap'n, still prefer the Viper? I'd have thought you'd see how much better the power of the Mantis is," Ashley said with a grin.

Naruto chuckled as he folded the Viper up and stored it. "What can I say; I stick with what works for me. And the Viper works for me," he said. "Besides, what will you do when you fire and miss a target charging at you? Wait ten seconds for the weapon to cool down enough to shoot, or get a second shot off right away?"

Ashley grimaced a bit at that, having occasionally run into that problem from time to time. The Mantis had power, but that power came at the expense of rate of fire, with the weapon being rather slow firing. It was important to make every shot count.

Garrus glanced over at them, having been listening to their conversation with interest, as he himself was a fellow marksman. He decided to add his two credits in, leaning over to them. "You know, if you want a good balance of rate of fire and power, you should see about getting your hands on a Tasira rifle. It's a turian sniper rifle I trained with on Palaven. Excellent rate of fire while still having a lot of knock down power," he commented.

The two Alliance marines glanced up, Ashley stiffening slightly while Naruto's did seem somewhat interested in what he said. "Really? Is that a weapon currently on the market?" He asked Garrus.

The turian sent a somewhat bewildered glance at Ashley, seeing how she had lost her good mood the moment he spoke, before answering. "I think it's still part of the standard arsenal for the turian military. But there are probably some floating around on the black market. I know this smuggler I've gotten good intel and weapon mods from before, she can maybe get you one. She seems to find pretty much anything anyone wants," Garrus told Naruto.

Naruto nodded at that, as Ashley went right back to focusing on her weapon, having lost the mood to converse. Garrus looked at her, then at Naruto with a questioning look. Naruto gave a slight shake of the head, indicating Garrus should drop the subject for now. Garrus just nodded and went back to checking over his own Mantis sniper rifle, as Naruto turned to Ashley. "Something wrong Williams?" He asked her.

Ashley took a deep breath. "Sorry cap'n, I just have a hard time being around turians," she apologized quietly. "It won't affect me out in the field."

"Understood Sergeant, but make sure to give him a chance. We're going to be working together here in some stressful missions, and it's important we learn to trust each other, both in and out of battle," Naruto advised her.

"I'll try sir," Ashley said, keeping her eyes on her weapon.

Naruto just shrugged, not expecting more than that from her, before standing up and carrying his weapons to his equipment locker, storing them away before beginning to run final checks on his armor.

The rest of the team was finishing up their weapon and armor checks when Joker's voice echoed over the PA. " _Commander, we're fifteen mikes from Therum orbit. Long range scans are picking up some unusual energy signatures from the target area. You might want to come up and give it a look,_ " he reported.

Alicia nodded as she stowed her gear. "All of you get suited and prepped. I'll be at the CIC," she said, moving to the elevator and activating it. She turned, getting one last look at the team prepping their armor, before the door closed and the elevator began to ascend.

A few minutes later she was on the CIC deck, heading towards the helm. Arriving, she saw the planet Therum filling the viewports. Joker was reading a holographic screen at the helm while Navigator Pressly was busy studying the sensor station near them. "Report," she ordered, moving over to the sensor station.

The lieutenant glanced up from the screen. "The target area has a number of strange energy signatures surrounding it, at several outposts and along roads leading towards the dig site. I can't be certain, but the energy signatures are similar to the geth on Eden Prime. And…I'm reading at least two large ships hiding behind the moon."

Alicia turned to Joker, who was already responding. "Don't worry, we're running silent. We've got at least four hours before we'll need to get out of here."

"Good. What about the target site, any strange energy signatures?" She asked the navigation officer

"Yes ma'am. There are a number of energy signatures at the researcher camp near the ruins. I can't pick out anything inside the ruins though, living or otherwise," he said.

"Then I guess we'll just have to see for ourselves. What's the closest landing point?" Alicia asked Joker, who was also studying the area.

"We can't actually land the _Normandy_ anywhere close to the site, but there are two options. There's a smaller landing pad I could hover near, and let you and your squad drop. But we'll be right in line of sight of all those geth, if they bother to look up. Or there's a landing site about five klicks away where we can drop the Mako. But you'll be driving through all those possible geth to reach the ruins," Joker stated.

Alicia studied the map, weighing her options. "…how likely are we to come under fire at the landing platform?" She asked.

Pressly answered the question. "It's on the other side of the researcher camp. If Joker can bring us in low along this lava river here, we can probably remain undetected right up to the camp. The landing platform is on the far side from the ruins, so I think you've got a good chance of deploying before you come under fire."

"Whoa whoa, you want me to fly low over a river of lava? Seriously?" Joker asked, looking a bit surprised. "And I don't have to pay you guys to let me show off?"

"Guess that answers that. Pressly, plot the best course to achieve maximum stealth. Joker, don't show off too much. We want to get to the landing area, not impress the chicks who won't be watching," Alicia said, heading back to the hanger to get suited up.

Joker grinned as he very carefully stretched his arms, preparing to take the ship through her paces. "Alright baby, let's see what you can do," he murmured.

The _Normandy_ surged forward, breaking its orbital pattern and following a flight path to enter the atmosphere. The hull glowed at the friction of re-entry, before it faded as the ship fully entered the atmosphere and dove down, heading for a mountain range. Joker grinned as he slipped through gaps between the mountains, following the general path Pressly had set to maintain their concealment from any visual scans.

In the hanger bay, Alicia had briefed the team on their infiltration strategy as she got suited up, and now the team was standing near the hanger door. Wrex, Alicia, and Kaidan, being the best armored and defended, were taking point to draw fire. Behind them, Naruto, Ashley, and Garrus all were waiting, sniper rifles drawn. Tali was bringing up the rear, being the least defended and not having any long range weapons. She'd follow up behind, doing what she could until she could get close enough to deal real damage.

" _Commander, we're coming up on the drop point. ETA is two mikes and counting!_ " Joker reported over the comm.

"Alright team, lock and load and ready to roll!" Alicia shouted, sealing her helmet's breathing mask into place as the team all readied their weapons.

At the researcher site, a number of geth were patrolling the area. The corpses of several of the researchers were being gathered up and dragged to a central point, while other geth were setting up computer terminals and power units, intent on downloading all the data the researchers had.

They were pulled from their work by the roar of engines as the _Normandy_ suddenly appeared over the rock wall surrounding researcher camp. The ship flared, the front mounted thrusters blasting as the ship slowed and hovered near the landing pad setup to receive shuttles, and the hanger bay ramp lowered.

Immediately, Alicia, Kaidan, and Wrex stormed down the ramp, the roar of Wrex's Revenant Light Machine Gun nearly drowning out the bark of Alicia's Lancer and Kaidan's Locust as they sprayed rounds towards the geth location. The synthetics quickly began moving to cover, only for three of them to drop as three loud reports echoed through the area. The trio of snipers was next down the boarding ramp, Tali right behind them, as they quickly hopped off the ship. The hanger bay closed and the ship began to rise up, moving away before it came under fire from the geth troops.

Alicia quickly pointed to storage shed near the landing area. "Kaidan, Ashley, take cover behind that building, and get ready to move around the left flank! Naruto, take Tali and head to the right flank! Garrus, Wrex, you'll follow me up the center!"

"Hell yeah Shepard! Let's move it!" Wrex shouted as he charged forward, Alicia not far behind him. Garrus shook his helmeted head, following Wrex and Alicia off the platform to the nearest cover.

On the right flank, Naruto was crouched behind some containers, barely even flinching from rounds ripping into the corner of their cover. Behind him Tali was wincing at the sound of their cover being chewed up, until Naruto turned to her. "Don't worry about it. They'll need something a lot stronger than those assault rifles to get us," he said.

It was at that moment something slammed into the crate, sending a piece of it flying over their heads. The pair quickly peeked over the top, seeing one of the larger, cannon wielding geth's preparing to fire again at them. Tali groaned as she dropped down. "You just had to jinx us!" She yelled, as a second blast slammed into the container.

On the left flank, Kaidan saw the trouble Naruto and Tali were in, and tapped Ashley's shoulder. The marine sergeant fired another burst from her Vindicator, dropping a geth trooper, before looking back at Kaidan who pointed to Naruto and Tali's position. "They need cover fire!"

"You got it LT!" Ashley responded, switching to her Mantis and switching places with Kaidan. As the sentinel trained lieutenant brought up his omni-tool, preparing to send an overload attack command at the two geth ahead of them, Ashley settled herself into crouch, one knee on the ground as she aimed. The larger geth was just about to fire when her first round from her Mantis slammed into its cannon, jerking the weapon to the side so it missed. The large geth unit turned, seeing the crouching marine, only for a second shot to slam into the shields in front of its optical ports, causing the shield to flare momentarily.

Sensing the geth's attention being drawn away, Naruto nodded quietly, holstering his sniper rifle. "Tali, I want you to concentrate on the geth troopers on our side. Keep them off me. I'm going to take care of the big one," he said, taking a deep breath as he unsheathed the hidden blades located in his gauntlets.

Tali nodded, gripping her shotgun as Naruto's legs tensed. "On the count of three…three!" Naruto shouted, vaulting over the crate and heading straight for the large geth. Tali popped up, her shotgun turning to aim at the closest geth trooper, who was moving out of cover behind a forklift. Her shotgun blast slammed into it, causing it to reel back as its shields failed, before a second blast tore open the chest plate, destroying circuitry within. Tali quickly dropped her shotgun, bringing up her omni-tool and sending a sabotage virus into the pulse rifle of a geth that was standing up from using a doorway of one of the buildings for cover, grinning behind her mask as the weapon shuddered before exploding in the geth's servos, riddling its frame with shrapnel and dropping it. A third geth trooper aimed at her, causing her to drop down, wincing as rounds hit the half destroyed container.

Her actions were enough however as Naruto was able to rapidly rush the large geth unit without being fired on, and with a yell, leapt on it from behind, driving his blades into its back. The geth immediately swung around, trying to dislodge him, but Naruto gripped the armored chassis with his left hand, the blade still dug in, as he yanked out his right arm and stabbed again.

From the center, Wrex grinned as he saw Naruto clambering on the geth and stabbing into its back, trying to get at vital circuitry. "Your brother's got quite the quad," Wrex said with a grin to Alicia.

Alicia just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, bravely stabbing something from behind. When I faced one of those, it was head on," she muttered, cocking her Crusader shotgun before popping up and blasting a geth trooper in the 'face'. The frame flopped over, the end of the neck a sputtering mess of sparks and wires.

Naruto however found himself in trouble when the geth smashed its back, and thus him, into the wall of a building. His armor held, but it still drove the air from him and he barely held on. The geth slammed against the wall again, this time forcing Naruto to relinquish his grip. He dropped to the ground, staggering slightly due to still recovering from the dual blows, as the geth turned, preparing to use its cannon like a massive club. That is until there was a roar and Wrex slammed into the unit, using his considerable size, weight, and strength to not only stagger the larger geth, but smash it through the wall it had been smashing Naruto into. Naruto quickly regained his breath and balance, Lancer now in hand, as he saw Wrex being thrown from the opening by the geth inside. Grabbing a disc from his supply belt, he armed the grenade before throwing it into the opening. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" He yelled, dropping behind the nearest cover, as a recovering Wrex did the same.

A blast of fire, smoke, and debris erupted from the building as the grenade went off, causing the entire structure to collapse as it was not built to handle an explosion going off inside. Naruto and Wrex quickly got to their feet, weapons ready, only to see the sight of the large geth unit pinned in the rubble, a beam piercing its chest as it weakly struggled. Wrex just snarled, reaching out with his biotics to grab the geth unit, pulling it from the rubble, before proceeding to smash it into the cover a pair of geth troopers firing at Alicia and Garrus was using.

Garrus winced as he witnessed the krogan's actions. "Remind me not to piss him off," he told Alicia, aiming down his sniper rifle and picking off a damaged geth trooper that was attempting to fall back.

On the left flank, Ashley popped out from behind Kaidan, firing on a pair of geth troopers in cover, forcing them back down, as she advanced slowly behind Kaidan. The marine sentinel was using his tech armor to become a walking fortress, advancing slowly and providing protection for Ashley, who was popping out and attacking the geth, keeping them down. Kaidan was also firing with his Locust until they got to the next patch of cover, where the two immediately hunkered down. Ashley moved to the corner, popping out to suppress the geth, as Kaidan brought up his omni-tool. "Get ready on my signal sergeant," he said.

As Ashley nodded, Kaidan counted down. "Three…two….one…covering fire!" Ashley popped out again, laying down long bursts from her Vindicator as Kaidan quickly shot up, pointing his omni-tool at the duo of geth. His omni-tool quickly transmitted a virus command to one of the geth, causing its shield emitters to fluctuate and overload. The malfunction caused them to blow out, 'stunning' the geth as electrical currents ran over its frame. Those currents jumped to the geth next to it, overwhelming its shields as well and leaving both stunned. The two Alliance marines quickly opened up, destroying the two geth before they could recover.

"Nice one lieutenant!" Ashley shouted, as they checked their comrades, to see if they needed help.

In the center, Alicia had just biotically charged a trio of geth who had rounded a corner, coming from the far end of the research camp to reinforce the other geth. The first one she had slammed into, driving one of the gauntlet mounted blades into its frame and destroying it, as she swung her shotgun to the second geth, blasting it apart at almost point blank range. The third however opened fire on Alicia, who took a few hits, draining her shields rapidly. Alicia cursed, barely pulling the lifeless frame of the first geth into the path of the third geth's rounds before her shields could be dropped completely, before she used that same hand to launch a shockwave of biotic explosions towards the third geth, blasting the empty shell off her blade in the process. The third geth was sent flying, smashing into one of the terminals the geth had been setting up, destroying it in the process, as Alicia grinned. That grin faded however as another geth came out of cover, this one carrying a rocket launcher. She quickly dove into cover as the rocket barely missed hitting her.

Wrex, who was currently stomping a helpless geth into the ground with one massive armored foot, looked up as he saw the explosion of the rocket, before grunting as he shot the geth on the ground with his shotgun. Rushing over, he saw the rocket wielding geth reloading, and preparing to fire. He let out a roar, distracting the geth, as he charged right towards it. The geth quickly swung the rocket around, firing at Wrex who kept rushing towards it. At the last second, Wrex threw up a barrier, which the rocket impacted against. Through the smoke of the explosion the krogan mercenary appeared, still roaring his challenge as he slammed into the geth, smashing it into a wall. It fell to the ground, its torso crushed and deformed, as Wrex sneered at it and stomped on its head, ending it.

Tali, having joined Naruto, patted his shoulder and pointed to some of the terminals. "Captain, if we can secure one of those terminals I can access them and hopefully try to retrieve information!" She reported, as Naruto nodded.

"Right. Commander, Tali reported that if we can secure those terminals, she likely can hack them for information. We should check fire, to make sure we don't destroy them," he reported over his comm to Alicia.

" _Good call. Everyone, try not to destroy the terminals! Check fire!_ " Alicia responded over the comm, directing the majority of the message to the whole squad.

It seemed that the squad had gained the upper hand, destroying most of the geth and driving them towards the edge of the camp. However, as the team reached the middle of the camp, the geth received reinforcements. A geth dropship roared by overhead, pausing long enough to drop a large oblong shape onto the ground. The shape hit the ground, rising up and unfolding into a massive four-legged construct. It was some type of geth heavy unit, moving on four legs with a long slender neck and head unit that had a wide optical port. Beneath this 'head' was a large cannon that it swung towards them, its sensors locking on them as it prepared to fire.

"Cover!" Alicia shouted as she saw its cannon glowing. She dove behind a building, tackling Tali with her as the others scattered while the cannon fired a charge of plasma towards them. The plasma round slammed into the ground, exploding and sending dirt and rocks shooting into the air. The walker scanned the area ahead of it, preparing to fire again as soon as it detected a target.

Tali, having scrambled back to her feet, was frantically typing on her omni-tool. "I don't know what type of geth that is! My ancestors never built anything like that!" She yelled over the comm as she tried to get some type of scan or understanding of the geth walker.

"I'm betting the geth have been busy the past three hundred years," Ashley quipped, popping out and firing at the walker from the building corner she was using for cover. The shields around it flared as it turned and fired at Ashley, who barely was able to get back into cover.

Naruto also opened up with his Lancer with similar results, causing the walker to focus on him. As he avoided its attack, Wrex growled angrily. "Bah, let me show you how a krogan does it!" He shouted, channeling his biotics and throwing out a powerful warp. It slammed into the walker, but all that did was cause it to turn towards Wrex and fire at him, this time actually succeeding in sending Wrex flying.

"Whatever that thing is, it's got some seriously powerful shields. I don't think we'll get through it with just weapons!" Kaidan said, watching their efforts against the geth walker.

"Tali, any chance you can-," Alicia started to say, only for the quarian to interrupt her.

"I've already tried delivering any number of viruses," she said. "Hacking won't be effective, just like against normal geth. But the firewalls around its programming are insane. I can't even deliver any of my other viruses!"

Kaidan, who was doing the same from his position, nodded in agreement. "She's right Commander. I can't even get at its shield emitters with an overload," he reported.

"Great, so any bright ideas?" She asked her squad.

" _We should just shoot the damn thing! Its shields can't hold up forever!_ " Wrex roared over their radios, before popping out and spraying the geth walker with fire from his Revenant, as Ashley did the same with her Vindicator.

"Best idea I can think of. Everyone open fire!" Alicia shouted, as the rest of the team popped out of their cover, opening up on the four-legged walker. For the first time it seemed troubled, as it staggered back slightly, the kinetic shields around it shimmering from the rain storm of weapon rounds slamming into it. With all the targets firing at it, its targeting program was having a hard time choosing a target to fire at. Of course help came in the form of the remaining geth troops, consisting of three troopers and a rocket trooper. They opened up on the squad members, forcing them back into cover.

"Crap, we forgot about them," Garrus muttered, with Alicia already forming a plan.

"Tali, Naruto, work your way around the flanks. Take those geth troops in the side. We'll keep their attention and focus on the walker," Alicia said, popping up and throwing out a shockwave. The ripple of biotic explosions slammed into the walker, staggering it slightly as two of the geth troopers swung their rifles towards her, firing as she ducked back into cover. Naruto and Tali, on her orders, quickly began working their way around the left and right flanks of the geth position.

Kaidan winced as the rocket trooper hammered his position, bits of building and dirt raining down on him. Taking a deep breath, he popped up, throwing out a biotic throw to try and slam one of the geth troopers into a building. However, just as his throw was nearing his target a sniper round smacked into the geth, staggering it and causing his throw to miss it completely. He glanced over, seeing Garrus ducking back into cover with his Mantis, his helmeted turning towards Kaidan. " _Sorry about that lieutenant! I didn't see you going for him_ ," Garrus apologized over the comms.

Kaidan just shook his head, annoyed he had just wasted the energy on that attack. "Check next time. We can't afford wasting ammo or biotics," he said.

Alicia frowned as she slotted a fresh thermal clip into Lancer as she listened to them, before popping up and laying down fire, only to be forced back down by the geth walker. "Focus on the fight! We'll worry about coordination later," she said.

Thankfully at that point, her flankers came into action. The geth trooper on their left flank went down from sustained assault rifle fire, as the rocket trooper near him was quickly hit with a biotic throw that smashed him into the walker, staggering it and destroying the rocket trooper. The second geth trooper's pulse rifle exploded on him, leaving him weaponless and open to Ashley taking him down. As the third trooper turned towards Tali's position, it was staggered back by a shotgun blast from Tali's Scimitar, followed by Kaidan's Locust destroying it.

Wrex, seeing the walker was staggered and alone, grinned. "Now we take that bastard down!" He roared as he charged into the open.

"Wrex, stick to cover! Its shields are still up!" Alicia ordered, but Wrex ignored her, charging and blasting the walker with his Eviscerator, the shotgun spreads slamming into its shields. The walker turned towards Wrex who just kept charging, before it swung one of its legs, slamming the krogan back and into a building. Wrex fell to one hand and his knees, before he started to push himself up, only to be sent flying by a blast of plasma that slammed into the ground near him. He smashed through a crate, destroying it as he slammed into the ground, dazed and helpless.

Alicia cursed as she saw the display for Wrex's status indicate his shields were completely gone. He was a sitting duck, as the walker turned towards his position, preparing to fire again. "Distract it!" She yelled, moving into the open and firing her Lancer.

The walker again switched target to her, seeing her moving rapidly in the open, and fired at her. Alicia quickly rolled to the side, dodging the blast and ducking behind a crate. "Someone have any bright ideas how we kill this thing?!"

Naruto glanced over to the downed geth troopers, before grinning. "I've got one commander. Give me a distraction and two minutes," he said.

"You heard him. Kaidan, move to Wrex and check on him. Everyone else, open up!" She shouted, as the rest of the squad began firing while Kaidan rushed to Wrex, dropping next to him and checking the recovering krogan over. As the squad distracted the walker, Naruto quickly rushed towards the downed geth, dropping and rolling on the ground near them. As he came back up, he was carrying the rocket launcher used by the rocket trooper. Checking that it was loaded, he quickly shouldered it while in a kneeling position.

"Process this," he muttered, firing the rocket at the walker before dropping it and diving into cover. The rocket slammed into the walker, causing a large explosion that practically threw the walker into a building. Alicia grinned as she saw this, but that grin faded as the walker was still moving, struggling to get back onto its feet.

"Oh for crying out loud," she said, pulling out a grenade. "I want grenades on that thing now!" She shouted as she primed and threw her grenade. Ashley and Naruto followed suit, all three grenades sticking to the walker as each of them detonated the explosives. This time a much larger explosion went off, shrouding the whole destroyed building in smoke.

Alicia glanced at her motion tracker and grinned as she saw the red blip fade away. Still, without visual verification, she wasn't about to celebrate. "I need eyes on it people. Is it dead?" She asked.

Naruto slowly approached, Lancer up and ready, as Tali slowly approached from the other side, her movements more cautious and unsure. The duo reached the building, and soon found the wrecked walker, one of its legs completely blown off, its neck half destroyed, and its optical port dark. Naruto pulled out his Carnifex sidearm, and put two rounds into the head unit, before reporting. "It's dead now," he said, as Tali let out a sigh of relief.

Alicia mirrored that sigh, before standing straight. "Alright, we need to finish securing the area. Vakarian, Williams, I want you two on over watch. Set yourselves up on whatever high ground you can find and cover us. Captain, start searching for any sign of our asari scientist. Tali, start working on hacking into those terminals, find whatever you can find," she ordered the four squad members not occupied at the moment.

As they moved to carry out her orders, she turned to Kaidan, who was crouched next to a now sitting Wrex. The krogan was holding his helmeted head in one hand, shaking it slowly to clear away any remaining cobwebs. "Report," she ordered Kaidan.

"No major injuries commander. Maybe a couple bruises, but mostly he was just dazed," Kaidan reported, some admiration in his voice at the resilience of the krogan.

Wrex just snorted. "This was nothing," he said, slowly getting back to his feet. "I've gotten worse injuries from ball room brawls against salarians."

"Maybe next time you'll wait for my orders instead of rushing into the open like that," Alicia said sternly, a frown evident on her face even with her breather mask hiding most of it. "You put yourself and the squad in unnecessary danger with your actions."

Wrex just grunted, checking his weapons. "We're still alive, aren't we? And it's dead. So what are you worried about?"

Alicia growled as she grabbed his arm, causing him to turn towards her. "I'm worried about what happens next time you pull a stunt like that and kill yourself or someone else on my squad. You follow my orders, is that understood?" She demanded.

Wrex's helmeted head just stared at her, before he shrugged. "Whatever you say, _commander_ ," he said, a bit of a condescending tone in his voice.

Before Alicia could respond, Naruto approached her. "No sign of the target. I found several other archaeologists, all KIA. We've got four asari here, but none of them are Dr. T'Soni. It's possible she's in the ruins," he said, nodding over to the entranceway to them.

Alicia nodded as she put Wrex's insubordination to the back of her mind and moved over to where Tali was working on a terminal. "Any luck?"

"Some," the quarian engineer said, still staring at the screen. "I've managed to break through most of the security, but it'll take time to download the information here. I'd say anywhere between ten to twenty minutes."

The Spectre commander shook her head at that. "No time. The geth will be all over us if we don't start going. Can you insert a program to remotely download the information to your omni-tool?" She asked.

Tali nodded at that as she tapped a few keys on her omni-tool. "Done commander. The program, if left uninterrupted, will download the info, though it only has a range of about three hundred meters," she said.

"So we'll need to stay planetside if we want all the info. Let's hope it won't take too long," Alicia said, switching to squad channel. "Alright, listen up! Our objective is confirmed to not be present at the camp here. However, there is a possibility she is located in the ruins. I want everyone to check your armor and ammo, we're moving out. Williams, you've got point. Kaidan, bring up the rear," she ordered, moving towards the ruin, the rest of the squad quickly falling in.

The ruins, located underground, were accessible only by a sealed hatchway placed over a drilled entrance into the underground ruins. Ashley, on point, quickly moved to the hatch and checked it as the others joined her. "Ma'am, there's a security log registering entrances and exits. Looks like our asari entered this place about two days ago, but hasn't exited since. There are a few other authorized entries and exits, likely the other researchers, and then over the past thirty hours there's been nothing but unauthorized entries and exits," she reported.

"Well, unless there's a second way out, we're in luck. Weapons ready people, we'll have some company down there," Alicia said, as Ashley quickly opened the door and they streamed in.

The entranceway to the ruins consisted of a long drilled hallway, slanted downwards into the rock towards the ruins. The team was forced to proceed single file towards the bottom, each of them tightly gripping their weapons and watching the door at the far end. Each of them knew this was the perfect place to ambush and finish them off, with no cover and no way to spread out. Yet surprisingly, they made it to the bottom with no threats popping out.

On the other side of the door they found themselves in a large cavern, with a series of walkways and ramps leading to the far side, where they could faintly see a very large construct. The area was lit by lamps and light fixtures, as well as the soft blue wavering glow of what looked like some type of energy shield blocking a large oval aperture in the construct.

"Well…that looks impressive," Garrus commented, pointing towards the large structure that was still partially buried in rock.

Alicia moved to the edge of the walkway, leaning over the railing. "Looks like they had cleared away most of the rock on this side of…whatever that structure is," she said, seeing what looked like a good forty or fifty foot drop down. At the bottom she could make out mining equipment, but little less in the half-lit gloom of the cave.

Ashley, on point, quickly pointed near the structure. "Commander, looks like there's some type of elevator over there. That's our way down," she said.

Alicia nodded, and was about to comment, when she saw Naruto standing there, tightly gripping his Lancer, his frame very lightly trembling. She turned to him, concerned. "Captain Shepard, you alright?" She asked, forced to be professional in front of the others.

"Fine commander. I'm fine," he responded automatically, though his voice sounded emotionless, almost robotic. Alicia frowned more, knowing probably that some of the trauma Naruto suffered as a child thanks to the Protheans was resurfacing. She moved over to him, gently grabbing his shoulder and causing him to turn to her.

"Hey…don't let it get to you. What happened is long in the past. You're fine," she said quietly, having switched to a private channel. Naruto just gave a slight nod and shuddered softly, before he relaxed slightly. Alicia gave a nod, before pointing to the elevator. "Alright people, we're moving out. Captain, I want you to take Vakarian and Williams, and stay here until we've reached the elevator. Provide us with cover fire until we reach it, and then join up with us. We'll cover you," she said.

Naruto nodded, pointing to Garrus and Ashley, and the trio all brought out their sniper rifles. Alicia and the other three members of her squad advanced, weapons up and ready.

As the advance team finished coming down the ramps, Tali could only let out a soft admiring gasp as they drew nearer to the Prothean ruins. "They look incredible," she whispered quietly, admiring the smooth, almost seamless architecture of the structure.

"Hold the chatter till we've secured the area," Alicia ordered, and Tali meekly nodded as the quartet advanced. However, as they neared the structure they heard the soft hum of engines, followed by a group of five geth drones, similar to the ones on Eden Prime, rising up to meet them. Before either group could engage, three of the drones dropped, each destroyed by sniper rounds from the over watch team. The other two were immediately destroyed by rounds from three shotguns, leading to five sparking and twisted wrecks dropping back down the way they came.

Alicia let out the breath she had taken the instant the drones had popped up. "Well…if they didn't know we were coming, they do now," she said, pointing to the elevator. "Alenko, check the elevator. Captain, bring your team down."

" _On our way_ ," came Naruto's response, as Alicia moved towards the structure. Besides the elevator, there was also a path connecting to the oval aperture, indicating it had been an entranceway for the researchers into the structure. But the blue field in place obviously prevented entrance now, leaving them with the elevator as the only way down.

As the trio of snipers joined them, Kaidan nodded from where he had been scanning and analyzing the elevator. "She's good commander, but I'm not sure all seven of us will fit at once."

Alicia frowned at that, before pointing to Naruto. "Naruto, keep Vakarian and take Alenko. I want you three to remain up here and keep our exit secure. Williams, Tali, and Wrex, you'll accompany me down to the bottom. If they are more geth, we'll need to be ready for them."

Garrus frowned a bit behind his helmet, taking a step forward. "Commander, you're going to want every gun down there. And I'm not a bad tech combatant either. I'd be of more use down there," he argued.

Alicia let out a soft growl, turning to Garrus. "And that's why I want you here Garrus. We need to keep our exit secure, and if geth start pouring through that opening, I want to know we've got a good team in place to destroy them. Besides, we're likely to get into some close-range combat, and do you want to be in that situation, or up here where you've got room to shoot?" She asked.

Garrus stepped back, helmet shifting down slightly. "…I understand commander. Sorry ma'am," he said quietly, as Alicia just turned back to the elevator.

"We'll discuss this back on the ship. Team one, with me," she ordered, entering the elevator. Tali, Wrex, and Ashley followed, the door closing behind them. Pressing the down button, the elevator started downwards as Naruto turned to his two current teammates.

"Let's get set up. Kaidan, move into cover behind that stalagmite there. Vakarian, you're there. I'll take position here," he said, as the trio spread out, with Naruto glancing towards Garrus for a moment, before shaking his helmeted head.

In the elevator Tali shifted a bit nervously, clutching her shotgun as she glanced over the side of the elevator, seeing them drop more. She glanced back up, only to see Ashley watching her. The gunnery sergeant just gave her a nod. "Don't let your nerves get to you kid."

"Sorry. I never really expected to be in a lot of fire fights," Tali admitted quietly, as she held her shotgun. She had been trained in combat, as had every quarian sent out on Pilgrimage in order to ensure their survival, but she had no official military combat training. Her training was based more on survival than anything else, there in case she needed it. Only the quarian marines were given full combat training courses, and the mindset for combat.

Ashley just gave her a thumbs up. "You're doing pretty well for your first time so far. Just stick behind us and keep those tech programs going," she said.

Tali nodded, only for the four of them to stumble as the elevator screeched to a halt, the gears and pulleys that operated it grinding and protesting. Alicia cursed as she looked over the side, and saw twisted debris blocking their path. The walkways for the level above the bottom had been badly damaged, some of it twisted and contorted from whatever caused the damage. Some of that metal was blocking the elevator, preventing it from going any further.

"Guess this is our stop," she muttered, hitting the emergency release on the door, forcing it open. "Alright team, on me," she said as she stepped out, jumping down from one piece of broken walkway to the next. Her three squadmates followed, Wrex bringing up the rear since he was most likely to cause the destroyed metal to fail.

As Alicia landed on a bit of walkway right above the bottom level, a piece of debris was shaken loose and hit the walkway below. Alicia cursed slightly, trying to maintain her balance as the broken path shifted, before settling down again. However, at the moment, she heard a somewhat muffled voice speak up. "H-Hello? Is someone out there?! Please, I need help!"

Alicia blinked as she heard the clearly feminine voice, and dropped down to the walkway at the bottom level, turning towards another aperture. She stopped as she saw a rather strange sight on the other side, as her squad mates moved to join her.

On the other side was an asari, wearing dirtied and ruffled scientist clothing. She was suspended in mid air in some kind of energy bubble, her arms and legs spread out, obviously unable to move in any way. Alicia frowned as she took in the asari, before recognizing her from the reports given to her on their target.

"Dr. Liara T'Soni?" She asked, looking around for any signs of geth, signaling to her three squad mates to watch her back as she stepped towards the force field to better talk with the apparently trapped asari.

"Y-Yes, that's me! How do you…never mind. Please, you must help me! I'm trapped in this security field, and I can't escape," the now identified Liara said, managing to turn her head towards the console near her. "That security console there, it'll deactivate this field."

Alicia glanced at the console, before looking up at Liara. "How did you end up like this?" She asked her, confused at the sight.

"It…it was when the geth attacked," Liara said, her voice starting to break a bit. "I was down here with a couple of my colleagues, identifying new artifacts we recovered when…they…the geth came so suddenly…we rushed to the ruins, to try and hide…I…only I made it," she said, a sob escaping from her at the last part.

Alicia felt a small stab of pity, seeing how distressed Liara was, as the asari tried to compose herself. "W-We had managed to ascertain this was a security console. I thought I could use it to protect myself…it raised these energy shields that kept the geth out but…I must have done something wrong, because I was trapped in this energy field. I d-don't know how long I've been stuck here."

"We're going to get you out of there," Alicia told her, glancing around. "Is there any way to shut down the fields?"

"Not from your side. You need to deactivate the fields from in here. B-But I'm not sure if there is any way in," Liara told her. "Dr. Howards told me that he had detected another level of the structure below this one, and they were preparing a laser drill to try and excavate it. M-Maybe you can get in from there," she said.

"Alright, we'll see about that. Hang tight and-." Alicia was interrupted by weapons fire slamming into the shield, the walkway below her, and all around her and her squad, as a group of geth appeared on the cavern floor. Alicia cursed as she and her team scattered, seeking what cover they could. But not before a powerful round clipped Alicia, her kinetic shields barely stopping the shot but the force of it hitting her shoulder still spinning her around a bit.

"Sniper!" Ashley shouted as she hid behind a section of railing reinforced with a metal plate between the rail and the floor.

Alicia checked her shields, seeing the round had taken off almost half her shields. "I don't know what that was, but don't get hit by it!" She shouted.

"Easy for you to say!" Wrex shouted, popping up to throw a biotic throw out. He nailed one of the geth troopers, smashing it into a rock, but a second sniper round slammed into him, causing him to grunt and stagger slightly, before he dropped down.

Alicia launched her own shockwave in the momentary distraction, sending a second geth trooper flying, before drooping down again. "Williams, can you nail that sniper?!"

"I need to know where it is, and I need a clear shot. I can't do that with it watching the platform here. You'll need to distract it!" Ashley shouted in response, gripping her Mantis.

Tali, hearing this, bit her lip. Both Wrex and Alicia's shields were recharging, and they likely couldn't risk another hit like that. Ashley was the one who needed to take it out, so she couldn't pop up either. Taking a deep breath, she mentally questioned what she was doing, before looking up at the human marine. "Get ready Ashley," she said, and before anyone could respond she shot up, running sideways as she frantically fired her shotgun at the geth below.

The geth sniper quickly tracked Tali and fired; she screamed as the sniper round hit her shields, draining them much faster due to their weaker nature and sending her slighter frame spiraling. She hit the ground hard, letting out another cry of pain as she did so.

"TALI!" Alicia yelled, moving to the quarians side while Ashley, not wasting any time, shot up, picked out the snipers position, and quickly fired. Her aim was true and the geth sniper fell back, its optical port completely shattered.

Ashley dropped down to avoid more return fire, letting out a breath. "Guess they don't give their snipers any shields," she muttered, glancing worriedly at Tali, who was weakly moving as Alicia knelt next to her.

Wrex glanced at them, before growling softly as he rose up. That soft growl became a roar, as he charged forward with his biotics, slamming into a geth trooper and smashing it into the ground with his bulk. Shooting up, his shotgun roared to life, destroying another geth, as Ashley shot up and used his distraction to pick off the other geth stragglers.

With the last one down, Ashley quickly moved to Alicia and Tali, the former of whom was gently helping the latter up. The commander looked up at the sergeant and nodded. "She'll be fine. She'll have bruising definitely, and maybe a bit of a concussion, but I don't think she's in any danger. But Dr. Chakwas will be the one to make sure," she added, turning her head to Tali. "What were you thinking?"

Tali, swaying slightly, shook her head slightly to clear it. "Sorry commander but Ashley needed a shot. A-and I was the only one with full shields."

Alicia let out a sigh. "Maybe, but both me and Wrex could put up a barrier," she chided softly, as Tali's silvery eyes blinked behind her mask, before she lowered her head.

"Oh…r-right…I-I'm sorry commander, I-I should have waited," she said quietly, feeling like an idiot now. Of course they could have done that. She should have waited, not leapt into action like that.

Alicia let out a sigh and lifted one of Tali's arms around her shoulders to support her. "What you did was incredibly brave Tali. And I don't want to discourage you from thinking and taking action like that. But next time, you shouldn't put yourself in danger like that unless there is no other course of action. Okay?"

As Tali quietly nodded, Alicia began to realize that her squad was definitely going to need some work if they were going to function together. The quartet moved down to the cave floor, where Alicia found the large laser drill. Tali quietly pulled away, moving over to the large apparatus's control console.

"I think I can access it and get it going commander," Tali said, wincing slightly in pain as she moved to access the controls. "It's already positioned and the settings are in place for excavation. We just need to power it up and fire it."

Alicia nodded to her, and Tali quickly initiated the power up sequence and then the fire command. The drill lit up, humming with power, before roaring as a massive laser beam shot out, chewing through rock and dirt at an alarming rate. Not even ten seconds later the drill stopped, as smoke clouded their vision of the area it had been excavating.

Alicia slowly moved forward, only to stumble a bit as the entire area rumbled and shifted before settling. Regaining her balance, Alicia moved forward towards the thinning smoke and found a perfectly excavated hole leading to another level of the Prothean structure. Only this time the aperture in the wall, unlike the others they had seen dotting the structure, was open with no force field in the way.

Signaling her team, she started to proceed forward, only to receive a call from Naruto up above at the same time they heard the roar of a Mantis from above, and the slightly softer crack of a Viper. " _Commander, we've got a problem here. Geth are pouring through the entrance. We'll hold them but you need to hurry up so we can get out of here,_ " the vulzan marine reported, as they could hear more clearly the firefight brewing above.

"Roger that. Hold that position captain," Alicia responded, cutting the comm and shouldering her shotgun. "We need to hurry people. Move it," she said.

The quartet moved down into the ruin itself, finding themselves standing on a circular platform in a large open column like tower. Alicia moved to the center, frowning as she looked around. She could see the openings in the walls above them, most likely entrances and exits for this elevator like shaft. The problem was she couldn't find any form of elevator control. "Alright people, look for some sort of elevator controls or summoning device. We need to get to the next level."

Tali, holstering her shotgun, brought up her omni-tool and began scanning parts of the platform they stood on. She stopped at one protrusion sticking up from the platform. "Commander Shepard, there is some holographic circuitry here. Probably a control panel of some type," she said, running her hands over the protrusion, only for a green holographic command console to appear.

Alicia grinned as she moved over to it. "Good work Miss Zorah," she said, examining the control panel. She frowned a bit, seeing the words on it written in Prothean. She couldn't make them out, and had no idea what would activate the elevator. Yet even as she looked at the unfamiliar writing, she felt herself drawn to one particular command button. Slowly reaching out, she pressed it, and the platform shuddered in response. They all suddenly felt a slight sense of vertigo, as the platform suddenly began to slowly rise.

"Hey, how did you do that skipper?" Ashley asked, eyes widening in surprise. Alicia just shrugged as the platform soon came to a stop at the next level. And there before them was the trapped asari archeologist.

As the quartet moved up, they could see her looking over her shoulder, trying to see what had caused the noise and the shuddering in the tower. "You got through? How-never mind. Please, you must deactivate the barrier. You can do so from the security console here," she said, nodding frantically to the console next to where she was suspended in the air.

Alicia moved to the console, looking it over as she questioned Liara. "Dr. T'Soni, have you recently had any contact with your mother, Matriarch Benezia?" She asked, looking over the console, before looking to the asari.

She looked confused at the question. "Why are you asking that? What does my mother have to do with any of this?" She questioned back.

"Please answer the question, Dr. T'Soni. I need to know if you've had any recent contact with your mother before I can release you," Alicia said, waiting for an answer.

Liara, still looking confused, finally answered. "I've received a number of messages and she has tried to call me a few times in the past month or so, but I have not responded to her at all. I haven't spoken to her for over a year. But why does any of this matter?" She asked.

"I'm sorry, I needed to ask you. I can explain once we get out of here," Alicia said, turning back to the console, and quickly hitting the button that Liara had indicated. The bubble vanished, as did the energy walls blocking the tower entrances. Liara landed on her feet, only to stumble and start to fall over. Alicia quickly caught her, keeping her upright as the asari glanced up at the N7 commander.

"T-Thank you. I'm afraid I'm a bit weak. I haven't eaten in some time," Liara said quietly. Alicia just nodded as she reached into her supply pouches, pulling out one of her ration bars and an energy drink.

"Here you go. These are probably not that tasty, but better than nothing," she said, helping Liara to eat the bar and drink the energy drink. After both were gone, she nodded in thanks as she slowly stood up, still wobbling but standing on her own. Alicia, seeing this, nodded as she turned to her team. "Alright people, we've secured the VIP, we're moving out. Captain, what's your situation?" She asked, directing her command to Naruto and his team.

" _Not good! There's too many geth, and now we've got a krogan! Real nasty one! That energy barrier came down so we're falling back into the tower! Need reinforcements ASAP!_ " Naruto shouted in response, as they heard gunfire over the comm, and Kaidan yelling something to Garrus.

"Roger that. We're returning to you, ETA two mikes. Try to hold till then," Alicia said, turning to her squad. "Move to the elevator, and prepare for combat. Dr. T'Soni, I ask that you hang back and out of the way please. We don't want you getting injured or killed."

"Y-yes, of course," the asari archeologist said, as the group moved back to the elevator. Liara moved to the elevator console, examining it, only for all of them to stumble as another rumble shook the structure, causing some debris to fall down from the walls around them.

"Okay, what the hell is that?!" Ashley asked. "We've got geth, krogan, and now an earthquake?!"

Alicia's radio squawked to life, as Joker's voice entered her helmet. " _Commander, we're reading a lot of seismic disturbances in your area! Looks like some type of mini volcanic eruption! What's going on down there?_ "

Liara glanced worriedly at the commander. "This tower was located near a major underground lava flow that built up in the thousands of years since the Protheans left. If something caused a major seismic disturbance-,"

"Like a drilling laser being fired into the ground?" Ashley offered, causing Liara to nod.

"Yes, like a…drilling laser…you used the drilling laser to enter the tower, didn't you?" She asked them. "The lava flow will enter the tower and flood the entire area! We need to get out of here!"

"Yeah, no kidding," Alicia said as she returned to her comm with the _Normandy_. "Joker, get the ship in close enough for pick up! Make it fast, or we'll be swimming in lava here!"

Moving back to the command console, Alicia activated it, causing them to start rising again even as the tower trembled and shook around them. Wrex couldn't help but grin as they rose up and heard the sound of weapons fire drawing closer.

As they drew closer, Liara slowly moved back to the other side of the platform, with Ashley moving in front of her. The other three also all held their weapons, tensing as they readied for combat.

Soon enough the elevator reached the top platform, where they found themselves in a bowl like depression of a large room. There were several crates arrayed around the edges of the depression, some of which though were baring scorch marks and dents or bullet holes from recent combat. Near the only entrance into the room, the trio of Naruto, Garrus, and Kaidan were crouched, exchanging fire with several geth units. Garrus was nursing his left arm, where the armor was penetrated, his arm bleeding slightly from a graze.

Alicia quickly moved up to where her squad members were crouched, joining them as she glanced out at the enemy. "Sit-rep Captain, how we doing?"

Naruto slotted a new thermal clip into his Lancer as he reported. "I count at least ten geth, two of them carrying heavy ordinance. And one krogan, possibly battlemaster. He was tossing some biotics around when he first popped up, nearly threw Kaidan right through a stalagmite."

"Heh heh, now we're talking!" Wrex shouted as he heard that, grinning behind his helmet. "Now we've got a real fight on our hands here."

Alicia peeked out again, looking over the enemy. They were spread across the walkways, the troopers firing on them at random, though the heavier rocket troopers were holding fire for some reason. However the fire suddenly stopped, as a large krogan wearing gray and black armor with no helmet strolled forward, carrying a tri-barreled shotgun, the frame made of smooth curves. The krogan stopped at the entrance, not hiding or showing any signs of fear. He raised the shotgun in one hand, pointing towards Alicia.

"You there! You the leader?! Hand over the asari now," he ordered. Liara, at the back of the group, shrank away, recognizing the krogan who had ranted at her and threatened her so much, feeling fear taking her over.

"What do you want with her?" Alicia questioned, trying to think of a way to handle the situation. The lava was rising, and they didn't have a lot of time.

"Not me. Saren wants her. And he gets what he wants. So hand her over. Unless you want to resist," he said, sounding almost eager at the prospect of them resisting.

The others glanced at Alicia, who just simply nodded before responding to the krogan. "Don't be stupid, of course we intend to resist! Just give us a moment, will you?!" She shouted, causing everyone, friend and foe alike, to stare at her in shock. (1)

Having gained a few moments, she turned to her squad. "Alright, here's the plan," she said. "Wrex, you and me will handle the krogan. Naruto, Garrus, take out those heavy ordinance geth, and then move onto the rest. Kaidan, Tali, you start on those troopers. Ashley, you're guarding the doc. She's top priority. Everyone got that?"

As they all nodded, she turned back to the krogan, standing up as she held her Crusader shotgun. "Now, we're ready to resist you," she said with a smirk, immediately raising her shotgun up and blasting the krogan. (1 again)

The large reptile was staggered back by the solid slug slamming into his barriers, before letting out a roar as he surged forward, firing his own shotgun, which fired what seemed like three plasma charges at once. Alicia barely ducked out of the way, as Wrex roared past, slamming into the krogan.

As one, Garrus and Naruto brought up their sniper rifles, sighting the two rocket troopers while Kaidan and Tali brought up their omni-tools. Kaidan, targeting two geth troopers clustered close to each other, hit them with an overload program, causing their shields to surge and release bursts of electrical energy, damaging them both. Tali sabotaged the rifle another was using, causing it to short out and not fire, leaving the geth trooper defenseless for a follow up shot from her shotgun.

One of the geth troopers with the rocket launchers raised it up, preparing to fire where Tali was crouched, only for his barrier to flicker as a round from Garrus's Mantis hit it. Before it could recover, Naruto followed up with two fast shots, the first finishing off the geth's shields while the second one ripped open its optical port, destroying it. Its smoking frame dropped to the ground, as the second rocket trooper turned to Naruto, firing a rocket at him. Naruto, spying the incoming rocket, quickly dropped his sniper rifle and drew upon his biotics, growling as he unleashed a sudden blast of red biotic energy. The rocket, hit by the ball of dark matter, was knocked off course, slamming into the ceiling and exploding. Rock and debris rained down upon the walkway, smashing into one geth and causing it to fall off the walkway and to the cave floor dozens of feet below.

Meanwhile, Wrex was roaring as he swung one armored fist, smashing it into the face of the krogan battlemaster, causing said krogan to stagger back. However, before he could bring his shotgun up to shoot the krogan, he was met by a biotic throw from his opponent, staggering him back. The krogan tried to bring up his tri-barreled shotgun, only to get thrown back as Alicia slammed into him with her biotic charge, causing him to hit the walkway railing as Alicia was revealed to be on his chest, her left gauntlet's blade buried in his armor while her Mustang was in hand. She quickly raised it to shoot the krogan in the face, but he reared his head back and smashed it into her helmet covered face, throwing her off of him. He got back up, his armor now penetrated but still relatively intact. He growled angrily, stepping forward, only for Wrex to smash into him, growling angrily. "Don't forget me, pyjack!" He shouted, tossing the krogan battlemaster to the side.

The geth rocket trooper, reloaded now, rose up and targeted Alicia, who was shaking her helmeted head as she tried to stand up. He fired the rocket, just as both Naruto and Garrus destroyed him with their combined sniper rifles. Naruto quickly raised his hand, preparing to try and throw the rocket off course, when a figure half ran, half staggered past him, and dropped to one knee next to Alicia. Liara quickly threw up her hands and created a biotic bubble around them both, shielding them as the rocket slammed into it and exploded, shrouding them in smoke.

Ashley, caught off guard by the asari's sudden rush forward, quickly ran up as the smoke cleared, revealing Liara panting heavily and barely staying upright, her shield still in place. It soon flickered and dissipated, as Liara fell over again with a soft groan, right into the arms of the human Spectre. Alicia cursed quietly, holding Liara in one arm as she raised her Mustang in the other, firing at a geth trooper that was standing up and about to fire. Instead, the trooper fell over, several large holes blown in its frame from her powerful revolver.

"Commander, I've got you covered!" Ashley said, moving up past Alicia and opening up with her Vindicator, giving her cover fire so she could pull back with Liara. Alicia didn't have far to go, as Kaidan quickly took Liara from her to check on her, allowing Alicia to return to the fight, Mustang back at her side and Crusader in hand. Tali, Naruto, and Garrus had quickly joined Ashley in mopping up the geth troopers, leaving Wrex and the battlemaster engaged in a mixture of close-quarters combat, shotgun exchanges, and biotic dueling. Wrex growled as he drew a knife from his side, swinging it to try and slash the krogan across his face, only for it to bounce off as the krogan titled his head down so it hit his forehead plate instead. The krogan brought up his shotgun and blasted Wrex point blank range, sending him staggering and reeling, his armor warped and smoking. The krogan battlemaster laughed raucously as he prepared to fire again, only to be distracted by Alicia smashing him with a throw, sending him staggering back. Alicia followed this up with a shotgun blast that finally ripped through his armor and hide, causing a spurt of blood to shoot out of the wound.

"Gotcha!" Alicia finally growled, as the krogan dropped to one knee, gripping the wound. Her feeling of victory disappeared as the krogan stood back up, growling in a more feral manner, his eyes now filled with rage and violence, no sign of intelligence left. Letting out a much louder roar the krogan charged forward, with Alicia barely rolling out of the way and firing at the krogan's back, again penetrating the armor and wounding the behemoth. This seemed to only further enrage the krogan, who turned again, swinging his shotgun as if to bludgeon Alicia with it.

The human Spectre, jumping back, cursed as her back hit the railing. "Wrex, what the hell is going on here?!" She shouted, ducking to the side to prevent her head from being caved in.

"Bloodrage! He's a berserker now! We need to put him down fast!" Wrex shouted back, Eviscerator barking as the rounds from it ripped into the battlemaster's armor. This just drew the krogan's attention back to him, and he prepared to charge forward, just as Naruto appeared, slipping between his legs and using his blades to slice into the joints of the armor, cutting through the mesh and slashing into his legs. The krogan staggered and started to fall over, letting out another roar of anger and pain. The roar was muted though by Tali's Scimitar barking rapidly, two rounds of buckshot ripping apart the berserker's armor even more.

Wrex just charged forward, slamming the krogan into the ground while he was staggered and wounded, managing to knock him onto his back. He brought up his Eviscerator, and quickly fired right into the krogan's unprotected face, doing so over and over again until the thermal clip was overheated, and he was forced to stop. The rounds did the trick though, destroying the krogan's face and skull and ripping the brain to shreds. The krogan lay there, a lifeless corpse, as the squad all stood there, shoulders heaving as they panted from the fight.

They were soon reminded of the danger they were still in by another rumble, and more rocks and debris falling from the ceiling, causing Alicia to curse. "Right, fun time's over people! Lieutenant, bring Dr. T'Soni with you! Move it people!" She shouted, taking charge again.

The squad quickly began running for the exit, Kaidan supporting the half conscious Liara, soon aided by Alicia so they could speed up. The trembles caused by the seismic activity, and the falling ceiling, made the sprint more difficult, but the whole team soon was in the exit tunnel, rushing up through the door and into the relative fresh air of Therum.

Alicia, still supporting the asari archeologist, pointed to where the _Normandy_ hovered near the shuttle landing pad on the other side of the research camp. "There's our ride people! Move it!" She shouted.

As they team sprinted through the camp, a geth dropship arrived on the scene, and geth began to rain down around them, quickly unfolding and drawing their weapons. The retreating squad were forced to run and gun, ducking to avoid rounds whizzing by their helmets as others ripped apart the ash and dirt under their feet.

Thankfully, help soon arrived in the form of the marine complement of the _Normandy_. The marines formed up on the ramp, providing covering fire for their allies as they rushed up onto the landing pad and onto the ramp. Alicia turned, leaving Liara with Kaidan as she made sure the full squad got onboard. As Wrex, the last one, thundered up the ramp she frantically activated her comm.. "Joker, get us the fuck out of here!" She shouted.

The _Normandy_ slowly lifted up, turning away as the marines moved up the ramp, allowing it to start closing. Just as they did so, lava exploded from the tunnel, spewing out onto the half destroyed research camp and several of the geth. Then the Alliance frigate was speeding up, shooting up into orbit.

Alicia, managing to make it up onto the CIC just as the ship breached the atmosphere, rushed up to the helm where Joker was. "Status?!"

"Geth cruisers are on intercept course. Stealth drive active in three…two…one!" Joker reported.

Out the view ports, Alicia saw the two large, insect like geth cruisers approach towards them. The ships should have been able to clearly see them, either visually or on the various sensor systems. Yet they showed no signs of detecting the _Normandy_ , which slipped right past them and quickly began leaving the system.

Alicia, seeing the danger seemed to be past, let out a sigh of relief. "Good work Flight Lieutenant," she said, gently patting his shoulder, causing him to wince.

"Hey, easy there commander," he muttered, as Alicia pulled away, slowly removing the breathing visor from her helmet. "And don't cut it so close next time. That sulfur and lava could have scratched the finish! Do you know how much that costs to replace?"

Taking in a breath of fresh air, she groaned as she felt the aches and pains of the combat she had just been through. "Just get us a safe distance away, and await further orders. I've got a VIP to check up on, and a report to file," she muttered, her voice tired.

"Heh, managed to survive all that fighting and you'll probably be done in by paperwork," the helmsman joked, as Alicia left the helm and headed for the crew deck

Arriving in the medical bay, Alicia paused at the doorway. Dr. Chakwas was at the first bed, checking over a now unconscious Liara and treating her. Tali, Garrus, and Wrex were also present, the first two being checked over by a nurse who was assigned to the ship on the Citadel and Kaidan, the latter of whom had some medical training. Wrex just waved off any treatment, though he was grumbling slightly as he rubbed his chest plate where it had been warped and damaged.

Alicia moved to Chakwas side, glancing down at the asari. "How's the patient doc?" She asked.

"She's suffering from extreme exhaustion, as well as dehydration. She'll make a full recovery, though she needs a lot of rest before I'm willing to let her out of here," the medical officer said, hooking up an IV drip to hydrate the asari, and pulling away. "Seems like you had quite the adventure down there, commander."

"You could say that doc," Alicia said, groaning softly herself as she felt her own aches and pains. "Anything else I need to worry about?"

Chakwas raised an eyebrow, before indicating the only available bed. "Nothing else at the moment. Tali is suffering from some bruising and a headache, and Garrus took a bullet graze to his arm. We'll have those settled soon enough. Wrex apparently suffered some burns under his armor where he was shot, but his regeneration is already handling that problem. That just leaves you," she said.

Alicia just groaned softly as she sat on the bed. "Hey, nothing serious doc. Just a couple scrapes and bruises."

"I'd believe that just as soon as I'd believe Joker is capable of taking things seriously," the doctor said, as she began to scan Alicia with her omni-tool "Now sit there quietly and don't move."

Alicia let out a sigh, allowing Chakwas to scan her as her eyes moved over her squad members. She wasn't happy seeing so many of them injured, even if the injuries were all minor. But still, she couldn't help but grin. They had fulfilled their objective and with no losses, which she definitely counted as a victory in her book.

Letting out a sigh she closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax. The mission was just getting started, and there were going to be more dangerous missions and close calls ahead. For now though, she allowed herself a brief sense of victory and accomplishment.

* * *

 **And chapter. Sorry if the ending is a bit abrupt, but I felt that the chapter was going on long enough. So here's the squad's first serious foray as a team, and as we saw, they're not quite yet a fully well oiled machine.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and my variation on the Therum mission, giving it a bit of new life. I know most people weren't too happy with my almost canon recitation of Eden Prime, so hopefully this makes up for that.**

 **To clear something up, each time you see someone say something like fifteen mikes, or whatever, mikes is the short hand military slang for minutes. Just to clear that up.**

 **Special thanks go out to a7xfantic11 and Kyuubi123 for their efforts in betaing my work. You guys are awesome.**

 **Nothing much else to say, except Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all.**

 **1\. Thank you Porthos from Disney's live action movie** **The Three Musketeers** **. Funny character. Also I don't own** **The Three Musketeers** **, as it is the property of Disney. Back when they made relatively good movies on their own and didn't need to buy other people's stuff.**


	12. Into the Maw

**Well it seems that most of you liked my take on Liara's rescue on Therum, including the problems the team was and still is facing. It makes sense that they'd not be a well oiled machine yet, as they've only fought together for one battle before this point, for most of the team.**

 **Now, with all the members present, it is time for the team to start working towards becoming that impressive team of specialists we see take on all comers in Mass Effect 3.**

 **Nothing much else to say, except let's get this show on the road!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Naruto. They are the property of Bioware and Masashi Kishimoto respectively. This is a nonprofit fan made work of fiction. Please support the official releases.

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **Into the Maw**

Alicia watched as the trio of holographic images appeared in the communication room, as the communication from the Council members connected to the _Normandy_. It was almost a day since they had escaped from Therum, and currently the ship was idling in the Macedon system of the Artemius Tau cluster. Alicia had ordered them into this position while the ground team recovered and she prepared a report for both the Alliance and the Council on what she and her team encountered on Therum. The reports had varied slightly, as the one she had sent to the Alliance had focused more on the geth presence on the planet, while the report to the Council had focused on what they had learned concerning Liara T'Soni and Saren's apparent interest in her. Both reports however had detailed all the information they had gathered on the geth, their fighting capabilities and numbers, so that all could benefit from knowledge on this new enemy.

And now the Councilors wanted a more personal debriefing, leading to the present, as she nodded to the trio of holographic Councilors.

" _Commander Shepard, we've finished reading over the report you sent us. I'll admit I'm concerned at the lack of detail regarding Dr. T'Soni,_ " Tevos said, starting the debriefing.

"I'm afraid I have little else to report on that subject at the moment, Councilors. Dr. T'Soni is currently recovering from both sleep deprivation as well as dehydration. I do intend to question her further after she has a chance to recover, both physically and mentally. However, my preliminary questioning and the situation she was in both suggest that she is not allied with Saren or Matriarch Benezia. As my report stated, she was hiding from the geth and the krogan Battlemaster who was leading them, and the krogan seemed to not care whether she lived or died, just that he have her or her body. I will admit," she said, cutting off Sparatus as she saw him preparing to speak, "that it could all be an elaborate setup to put a double agent on my ship, which is why she currently is also under guard until I make a determination on where her allegiance lies."

Valern decided to speak up at this point. " _A sound decision. If she is working for Saren, he might have sent those geth to end her life and prevent you from questioning her. Or to help sell her cover as a double agent for him._ "

" _I doubt Benezia was party to such a plan, if the former was the case. I do not think she would sacrifice her daughter like that,_ " Tevos said.

" _Or maybe you are not as familiar with her as you believed you were. Her betrayal seems to have come as a great shock to you, Councilor Tevos,_ " Sparatus said, causing Tevos to flinch slightly at the turian's accusation as said Councilor turned to Shepard. " _I must say that I am disturbed at your recklessness regarding those Prothean ruins, Commander Shepard. You should have strived to preserve them for future study._ "

Alicia did her best not to scoff or roll her eyes, mentally restraining herself before she spoke. "I did not intend to destroy the ruins, but it was the only way to gain access to Dr. T'Soni and to exit said ruins. It was not like my team and I had a lot of options, especially with an enemy presence threatening to overwhelm us. Even if the ruins weren't destroyed, they would have ended up in the hands of the geth and Saren anyways, giving him invaluable information and potential technology."

" _Indeed. While unintentional, your actions actually have benefitted your mission in preventing Saren an advantage. And as a Spectre, the mission must come first,_ " Valern stated.

" _We expect a follow up report after you've had a chance to question Dr. T'Soni. We will forward any other leads we might find as soon as we receive them. Good luck, Commander Shepard,_ " Tevos said, ending the debriefing.

As the holograms disappeared, Alicia let out a tired sigh, feeling annoyance at Sparatus' words. The turian Councilor seemed intent on belittling her efforts, as if to find reason to disapprove of her actions or methods. It was easy for him to judge her from the safety of the Citadel, when he wasn't the one in the field, under pressure to make decisions. Shaking her head, she turned and left the comm room, intending on going to see how their new 'guest' was doing.

On the crew deck, she paused a moment as she saw Kaidan, Ashley, Garrus, and Wrex in the mess area. The first three were sitting around the mess table, though Garrus seemed to be awkwardly hanging at the 'edge' of their group, while Ashley seemed to barely being speaking or even acknowledging the turian, leaving Kaidan to do his best to create a conversation that included all three of them. Wrex simply was loading up on food, before glancing at the trio, then snorting and stomping off towards the elevator leading down to the hanger/engineering deck.

Alicia could only frown as she saw the continued division of her team. This wasn't going to do if they were going to be fighting together. While she didn't need them to be the best of friends, they should at least be able to work together and be amicable to each other in their downtime. Shaking her head she turned back to the medical area, deciding that the next thing she needed to focus on was getting the team to work together.

Entering the sickbay she nodded to the marine on guard duty before moving to the only occupied bed. Liara was actually awake, talking quietly with Dr. Chakwas while nibbling on some food. The asari glanced up as she approached, her blue eyes widening as she took in Alicia and causing the ship's doctor to look up as well.

"Ah, Commander Shepard. I was just busy checking up on our patient. She is recovering nicely, though I would like to keep her here for a few more hours, to make sure she is properly recovering," Chakwas said, smiling at her.

"I understand. Is it alright if I talk to her?" Alicia asked, glancing at Liara who now was looking down slightly.

"I don't think it would be a problem, but try not to aggravate her too much. She is still recovering." Turning to Liara, the aged doctor gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll be right over there if you need anything."

Liara nodded as Chakwas headed off to work on some medical reports. She started to sit up straight, but Alicia stopped her. "Just relax please. Last thing I need is Doc getting on my case for causing you to relapse or something," she said with a disarming smile.

"Y-Yes, of course. How can I help you Commander?" Liara asked her nervously, trying to look her in the eyes, but not being able to. She felt nervous being in the presence of this person who had rescued her, but who had also put her under guard. And she was still shaken by her experience on Therum, seeing some of her colleagues die, and knowing others had as well. Not to mention that now that she got a good look at this person, she knew she was in the presence of a Spectre, the one whose acceptance into their ranks had recently been televised. And that made her even more worried, that this operative of the Council had come looking for her personally.

"Well first off, I want you to thank you for saving my life down there on Therum, when you blocked that rocket meant for me. I knew that couldn't have been easy, in your condition," Alicia told her.

"O-Oh, yes! Well you're welcome. It was the least I could do for you for saving me," Liara said, blushing ever so slightly, a light purple hue appearing on her cheeks. Alicia could only grin as she saw that, finding it adorable, especially with her light sprinkling of freckles, something she had never seen on an asari before. But then she schooled her features, reminding herself that this was still a potential enemy.

Focusing back on her purpose, she started her questions. "Now, I know we covered this back in the ruins, but I think it is important to cover this now that we have more time. Have you recently been contact with your mother, Matriarch Benezia?"

"As I said before, I received a few messages from her over the past month or so. But I refused to answer any of them," the asari said quietly. "My mother and I had a falling out because I chose to pursue my interests in archeology, specifically excavating and investigating Prothean ruins and artifacts. Before the messages she sent to me I had not spoken to her or heard from her in over a year."

Alicia nodded as she took that in, making notes on her omni-tool. "Alright, thank you. You mentioned you're an archeologist who studies Prothean ruins? Have you discovered anything that might be of interest to anyone specific? Anything that might cause, well…cause someone to come after you? Any information or technology?"

"No I…I don't think I've discovered anything that could cause someone to try and abduct me. To be honest, there are many others who are publically acknowledged as knowing more about Protheans then I do. Most of my theories and papers are not taken seriously, mostly due to my young age and inexperience," Liara said quietly. "I cannot think of any reason why anyone would come after me."

"I can think of someone who has a reason," Alicia said softly, taking a breath before she asked her next question. "Have you recently had any contact with the turian Spectre Saren Arterius, or anyone who claims to be representing him?"

"I…no, I haven't heard of such a person before. But he was the one mentioned by the krogan, wasn't he? Is he the one who sent those geth after me?" Liara asked, her voice rising a bit as she started to sit up straighter, her blue eyes radiating pain and slight anger.

As Alicia saw those eyes, she couldn't help but feel that it was genuine, that Liara was a victim and not a suspect or double agent. Taking a deep breath, she closed down her omni-tool. "Yes, he was," she said. "I can't give you all the details, but I can tell you that I'm tracking Saren Arterius for crimes against the Alliance, humanity, and the Council. And I believe he sent those geth to collect you because of your knowledge regarding Prothean ruins, culture, and technology."

Liara could only tremble, looking down as she heard all that, her shoulders shuddering a bit. After several moments, she spoke again, her voice breaking slightly. "And what does any of this have to do with my mother?" She finally asked. "Is my mother involved in some way?"

Alicia bit her lip, before answering. "We are not sure how, but we do have evidence that she is connected to Saren."

Liara just nodded, not looking up. But Alicia could see some tears trailing down her cheeks. "I see…I'm sorry commander, but I am feeling tired. Do you mind if we finish this later?"

"Yes, I understand. We'll continue this later. Just rest right now," Alicia said, as she slowly stood up. "Thank you for answering my questions. And I am sorry for what you went through."

Liara just nodded again as she lowered herself into the bed, huddling a bit and turning away. Alicia watched her for a few moments before moving to Chakwas. "Please keep an eye on her."

"Of course Commander. I'll do my best to aid her through this stressful time," the doctor said, as Alicia turned and left the sickbay.

Back in the mess area, Alicia just rubbed her forehead quietly, feeling guilt over what Liara must be feeling due to her questioning. But she knew it was necessary, both to gather any information she could that might give them a lead or intel on Saren, and to try and find out if Liara was truthful or lying. Deciding to try and expedite that last part, she headed to the captain's cabin, her cabin, and sat down in front of her personal terminal. Opening up the e-mail service, she began typing out a secured message to send to the Spectre office on the Citadel, requesting all known information regarding communications to Doctor Liara T'Soni from Matriarch Benezia, Saren Arterius, or any persons connected to or contracted by those two persons. Sending the message, she closed it down and leaned back in her chair, eyes closed as she let herself relax for a few moments.

Elsewhere, relaxing was the last thing on Tali's mind, as the quarian left her quarters on the _Normandy_. Per her request, Alicia had convinced the chief engineer to give Tali a duty shift in engineering, and she was eager to get started. So eager in fact, that she was leaving a full half hour early, to make sure she arrived on time and made a good first impression. Entering the elevator, she shifted nervously as it slowly began its descent, hoping that she was able to learn everything necessary to help out on the ship. She had been reading some of the tech manuals on the general systems of the ship, and she could already tell this was the most advanced ship she was likely to see in some time.

As the elevator stopped at the hanger/engineering deck, she stepped out as the door opened, preparing to turn to head back to engineering, only to stop and pause, her silvery eyes widening as she realized what she was seeing in the hanger area.

The hanger bay was mostly open, save for the forward starboard side, which housed the six wheeled infantry fighting vehicle the Alliance called the M-35 Mako. Behind that, the requisition officer had set up shop, having several computer screens that displayed products he was able to order from various private companies, as well as official requisition forms for Alliance arms and supplies. Opposite that was the armory, where the marine complement and Alicia's ground team could store and maintain their armor and weapons. Both Wrex and Garrus had set up bunks in the hanger area, though quite a distance apart from each other, and currently the krogan was plopped on his bunk, tearing into food he had obviously brought down from the mess area. Though like her, his focus seemed to be on the other individual present in the hanger bay.

Naruto Uzumaki was grunting as he maneuvered around what appeared to be some type of mech covered in padded material over parts of its body, making it resemble a humanoid form. The vulzan was dodging punches and grab attempts by the mech, before responding with blows or grapple attempts of his own, tossing the mech around or locking his arms or legs around parts of the mech and restraining it. The whole thing was quite amazing to watch, as he seemed to dance around the mech with grace and agility, easily dodging its own considerably fast blows. But what drew Tali's attention was the fact that Naruto was currently shirtless, sweat glistening off his toned and defined muscles and the red maelstrom like tattoo on his right bicep. She could only stare, a blush forming on her face behind her mask, only to gasp as he turned with his back to her, and she saw a second tattoo.

This one was considerably larger, though it too was also in red ink. The center of the tattoo was the head of some type of animal, something that seemed canine-like in appearance, with red eyes that had black markings around them. Surrounding the head was nine waving protrusions, each red as well but ending in black tips. The whole thing looked quite intimidating to her.

Naruto grinned as he ducked under a punch from the mech, grabbing the extended arm and swinging around, wrapping his legs around the captured limb and neck and dragging the mech to the deck, securing his lock on the mech. The mech struggled to break the lock, but eventually surrendered, falling 'unconscious'.

Wrex snorted as he tore into a piece of varren jerky as he watched the training. "Not bad Maelstrom, but I'd like to see you try to do that to a krogan," he said.

Naruto just grunted as he released the mech. "Yeah, if I don't mind getting tossed around like a chew toy," he muttered, standing and stretching.

Wrex glanced over, to see Tali still standing there, and smirked. "Looks like your admirer is busy ogling you. Might want to either get dressed, or find somewhere more private," he said, causing Tali to yelp at that while Naruto glanced up in her direction.

Chuckling a bit, the vulzan grabbed a towel and started to wipe himself off. "Need something Tali?" He asked her, grabbing the upper half of his duty fatigues.

"N-No, n-nothing! I don't need anything," she quickly said. "I was just going to my duty shift! In engineering! That's why I'm here! Oh _keelah_ , I am making this so much worse," she muttered, face palming the visor of her helmet.

Naruto blinked at her reactions, before shrugging and starting to pull on his shirt. Tali, seeing the tattoo on his back again, decided to speak up. "Uh, do you mind if I ask what that is?" She asked, pointing to his back.

Glancing over his shoulder and seeing her pointing at his back, he chuckled a bit. "Aah, kind of hard not to miss that, right?" He asked her, before pulling the shirt up enough for her to see it again. "This is _Dado-Talado-Kuacj_ , or 'Nine-Divine-Tails'. It is the patron deity of my clan."

Somehow sensing her confusion from her stance, he elaborated. "It is part of my people's faith, at least from what I understand from my genetic memories of my parents and ancestors. The vulzan people had a pantheon of deities, which they all worshiped. However, each of the major clans had a certain deity or deities that they considered their patron, who they chiefly worshipped. My clan chiefly worshipped _Dado-Talado-Kuacj_ , a red furred fox with nine tails. He was master of the forests, fire, and magic…what my people thought biotics were before the Protheans came."

Naruto pulled his shirt down, turning back to face Tali. "It was a tradition for the warriors of the vulzan to have the patron deity of their clan tattooed upon their backs or chest upon completion of their training and their ascension to a full warrior of the clan. I wanted to honor my people and ancestors, so after making sure I fit the requirements, at least from what I've seen in my ancestors' memories, I got this tattoo."

"I can understand honoring your ancestors and your people," Tali said, nodding gently. Seeing Naruto's interested look, she continued. "My people have long honored and revered our ancestors. Before we were forced off our home world by the geth, our ancestors' memories and personalities were imprinted onto VI programs so that their experience could be used to try and guide our race even after their death. We lost almost all those databanks during the geth uprising, but we still honor our ancestors for their efforts in keeping the quarian people and Migrant Fleet alive. It is…the closest thing we have to a religion, I suppose."

"Heh, religion. Just a bunch of crap people do to try and give their lives meaning," Wrex snorted, tearing into his food. Tali glanced down at that, while Naruto looked over at Wrex, his face hardening a bit, before he moved next to Tali and touched her shoulder.

"If that's what you want to believe, fine then," Naruto told him. "But everyone deserves to have their own beliefs, and no one has the right to put down anyone's beliefs or faith. Not unless they put others in danger."

Wrex just shrugged, going back to his own food, while Tali turned away, gently pulling away from him and moving over to the doors to engineering. Naruto followed her, causing her stop after a few moments.

"You okay?" Naruto asked Tali quietly, as the young quarian girl just stood there, holding her arms over her chest, her helmeted head lowered.

"I'm just…not sure I really belong here," she said quietly. "I…I know I seem self conscious or petty, but it seems like nobody wants me here. Vakarian blames me for what my ancestors did, and Wrex there seems to just constantly not care or belittle everything I say. And all the Alliance crew members keep looking at me with suspicion. I just feel…alone here."

Naruto gently touched her shoulder again, forcing her to look at him, as he gave her a smile. "You're not alone, Tali. You've got me here, if you need someone to talk to and hang out with. And my sister's door is always open, because how else will she get her teasing material?"

She shook a bit, lowering her head and obviously trying to stifle a giggle, as Naruto's face grew more serious. "As for everyone else, if they can't be bothered to try and get to know you, then fuck them," he said, causing her to look up suddenly, her eyes widening in surprise at his sudden use of vulgar language. "Most of them are going to be a bit wary initially, because they don't know you, but they'll either learn to accept you, or they won't. And if they won't, then they aren't worth your time."

Tali kept looking at him, before nodding quietly. "I…I'll try to remember that. I can't guarantee anything, but…I'll try."

"That's all anyone can ask. Now you better get in there, and start proving to everyone just why you deserve to be here," he said with a confident grin.

"Right. Don't worry, I promise I won't cause an engine meltdown till my third shift," she said, feeling more confident thanks to his words. "And…thank you," she said told him, before turning and quickly heading into engineering.

Naruto watched her go, before taking a deep breath and turned, heading back into the hanger area. His eyes immediately locked on Wrex, who was finishing up his food. He frowned as he approached the krogan, who just barely even glanced up at him. Before he could speak, the reptilian merc just grunted. "I ain't going to coddle anyone, so don't bother asking. She can't handle a few harsh words, she shouldn't be out here," he said.

"I'm not asking you to coddle her, I'm asking you to not destroy what little teamwork we've got," Naruto stated, his arms crossed. "We need to rely on each other if we're going to make it out of this operation alive."

Wrex just grunted again, pulling his bulk up off his bunk. "Trust me kid, it ain't going to be working together that gets us through this. It's going to be a lot of guns and lots of killing. That's it," he said. "But like you said, feel free to think otherwise, if it'll make you feel better."\

Naruto however got right up in Wrex's face, not backing down. "Listen to me Wrex. If your actions get anyone here killed, you and I are going to have a long, hard, and painful conversation. And that's if my sister doesn't get to you first. And this is not a threat. It is a promise."

Wrex looked into the vulzan's eyes long and hard, before letting out a soft chuckle. "You've got guts kid. You and your sister. I can respect that. But out there on the battlefield? It's kill or be killed. And I don't plan on dying for anyone except myself." With that, the large krogan began to stomp off, leaving Naruto growling softly, his fists clenched as his eyes narrowed, the faintest hue of amethyst slipping into his pupils. He just growled and turned away, reactivating the sparring droid. The mech came online, only to quickly find itself the outlet for Naruto's frustrations.

 _Saren's flagship_

Saren Arterius let out an annoyed growl, the flare of his biotics fading as the furniture in his quarters dropped to the ground at the news he had just received from his forces on Therum. Not only had they failed to retrieve Liara T'Soni for him, but a fair amount of them had been destroyed by Alicia Shepard, the human responsible for his Spectre status being revoked and his plans, to some degree, being revealed ahead of time. The remaining geth, attempting to secure what they could from the site, had reported the loss of the facility due to volcanic emissions, and then additional losses when an Alliance task group had engaged them before they could retreat.

And as such, he was no closer to understanding the vision he had received from the beacon on Eden Prime. Even when he supplemented it with a clearer vision from a second Prothean beacon he had located and utilized, he was no closer to understanding any of it. It was clear that simply seeing the vision wasn't enough; he needed more to understand it. He needed some way to decipher the Prothean's language and mentality, in order to understand the information from the beacon.

Hearing the door to his quarters open, he turned to the source of the disturbance. A geth unit entered and stood at attention, a series of clicks and electronic stutters and warbles emanating from it. Saren's eyes narrowed as he listened to the information. "What should I care about intercepted coded communications from some human corporation?" He snapped.

The geth unit continued to emit the strange noises, and the turian's eyes widened in understanding, before his mandibles flared slightly in the turian equivalent of a grin. "I see then. Very well. Set course for the planet Feros. It seems fate is smiling on our cause today," he said.

As the geth unit turned and left, Saren chuckled as another geth unit, assigned to oversee his needs, finished straightening his furniture. Settling back into his chair he could only smile, as it seemed things were taking a turn for the better now.

 _Normandy_

Alicia could only let out an annoyed groan, having been rousted from her rest at the sound of her communication terminal beeping incessantly. Rolling over she slapped a hand to active her ship intercom. "This better be important Joker, or I swear I'm cutting off your speaking privileges for the next decade," she muttered.

" _Sorry Commander, but we've got a communication from 5_ _th_ _Fleet command. Sounds important,_ " Joker said over the comm, causing Alicia to become more alert.

"Right, route it down to my terminal," she said, getting up and grabbing her top, pulling it on so she didn't flash whoever the message was from. Sitting down at her terminal, she activated it, only to blink as the image of Admiral Steve Hackett appeared.

" _Commander Shepard. Sorry to bother you, but we've got a bit of a dilemma and you're in the best position to handle it,_ " the aged admiral said, cutting right to the chase. " _I've received word from Commodore Kakoku of the 72_ _nd_ _Scout Flotilla that one of his recon corvettes, the SSV Centaur, recently disappeared while on a routine patrol near your position. I know you're busy with the Saren investigation, but since you are the closest ship on station, I'm assigning you to investigate the disappearance._ " (1)

"Understood sir. Where exactly am I heading?" She asked him.

" _The Centaur's last reported position was the Sparta System in the Artemius Tau Cluster. They had reported picking up a strange transmission from the planet Edolus, and were on route to investigate. Your orders are to head to their last reported coordinates and investigate their disappearance. That is all Commander,_ " Hackett said, ending the transmission.

Alicia took a deep breath, before getting up and reactivating the intercom, setting it for ship wide. "This is Commander Shepard to ground team. I need everyone in the briefing room in ten minutes. All hands, prepare to get underway," she ordered, shutting down the intercom.

Quickly getting herself presentable, she left the cabin, passing a couple of on-duty crewmembers moving to their stations as she headed up to the CIC deck. Quickly climbing up to the captain's perch above the holographic navigation map, she called up a map of the Artemius Tau cluster, selecting the Sparta System and then the planet Edolus in said system. "Joker, you've got the new coordinates. Take us out at best speed as soon as we are ready," she said, turning away and entering the communications and briefing room.

As the rest of the ground team, fully or almost entirely recovered from their injuries, entered the room and took their seats, Alicia brought up the latest imagery of Edolus on the holographic screen. "We're being directed to this planet, Edolus. It's an arid world located in the Sparta system here in this nebula cluster. A _Manticore_ -class recon corvette, the _SSV Centaur_ , disappeared while on routine patrol in the system. We've been tasked with finding it. I want the ground team on standby in case we need to make a landfall, or make a ship boarding, though hopefully this is just going to be a case of communications malfunction," she said.

"How big of a ship are we talking about?" Garrus asked, leaning forward in his seat.

Naruto was the one to answer. "Not big. It's a scout ship, meant almost purely for recon work. Average crew complement is roughly around twenty, counting both her navy and marine personnel. Lots of engine and sensor power, but not much else."

"Their last report indicated they were investigating strange transmissions from Edolus, so we'll be starting the search there. It's an arid world, with strong winds, so I want everyone to make sure your armor's up to specs for the environment. If we don't detect them in the space, we'll be dropping in the Mako," Alicia said, which instantly drew a very subtle flinch from Naruto. "Williams, make sure she's ready for a drop, just in case."

"Will do skipper," the human marine said.

Alicia looked at her group. "I don't expect there will be a lot of combat, but I want everyone to be prepared. We may be encountering anything from pirates to geth down there. Edolus is largely uncharted, so it is the perfect place for those who don't want to be found to hide. Dismissed, except for Wrex and Vakarian."

Everyone got up to leave, save for the two who were asked to say. Wrex just grunted, slouching in his seat while looking disinterested, while Garrus looked a bit nervous. Alicia watched the two of them, waiting till the rest were gone, before speaking. "We need to discuss some problems we had on Therum, concerning the both of you," she said, leaning back against the railing in front of the now deactivated holographic display. "I'm not asking for strict obedience and blind loyalty, but while we're on the ground, in the middle of an operation, I need to know that I can rely on the people fighting alongside me. Currently, you two are the ones I can rely upon the least."

Wrex didn't seem fazed, but Garrus's eyes widened and his mandible's flared in surprise. "Commander, I promise you that you can-," he started to say, only to stop as Alicia raised her hand.

"Garrus, I don't want you trying to defend yourself, I want you to listen to why I said what I just did. When we're in the middle of enemy held territory with potential enemy reinforcements about to drop down on us, I need to know that the operators under my command are going to follow orders. I don't expect you to be obedient drones who don't think for yourself, but I don't need you questioning my decisions, especially in front of the others. It sets bad precedence and causes us to lose cohesion in the field. Worst of all, it can get someone seriously injured or killed. That goes for you as well Wrex," she said, looking at the krogan. "I'm not asking you, either of you, to just simply conform to Alliance regulations, but I need you to trust me and follow my orders in the field. Otherwise, we're not going to take Saren down, and we're likely going to die in the process. If you don't like it, you're free to leave the ship as soon as we dock at the Citadel or anywhere else. Am I clear?"

Garrus gulped slightly and nodded. "Understood Commander," he said. Wrex just grunted, not really giving an answer, that is until Alicia stood up, arms crossed as she looked at him.

"Fine, fine. I won't get the others killed. But I'm not going to follow you just because you say so. Respect is earned Shepard, not given," Wrex said, standing up and stomping off.

Alicia just let out a tired sigh, slouching a bit, before looking to Garrus. "That's all Garrus. Unless you need to talk to me?" She asked.

The turian shifted a bit, before standing up. "No commander. Sorry commander," he said, starting to move away.

"Wait Garrus," Alicia said, causing Garrus to pause. "I need you to understand, Garrus, that I'm not disappointed or angry with you. We've barely been working together, and there are going to be kinks in our ability to work together. Like I said, I don't want mindless obedient drones. I just want you to trust me and my decisions. But if you do have a concerns, or ideas, I want to hear them when it is right or appropriate, alright?"

The turian turned to her, and nodded quietly. "I understand Shepard. I'll do my best," he said, before leaving. Alicia just took a deep breath, eyes closed as she tilted her head towards the ceiling. After a few moments, she moved away to get herself ready for the mission as well.

The FTL flight from the Macedon system to the Sparta system took roughly two hours, during which the ground team quickly got their equipment ready for the mission, while the Mako was prepped and ready for the drop. Alicia, after ensuring her armor and equipment was ready, had returned to the CIC, and was waiting for their arrival in the Sparta System. Feeling the ship drop out of FTL speed, she grinned as she moved up towards the helm.

Arriving at the helm she nodded to the sensory office. "Start off with a passive sensor sweep of the system. If you don't detect anything we'll go to full active. Tactical, be ready to raise barriers and arm weapons if a hostile bogey appears. Joker, I want the stealth drive ready at a moment's notice," she ordered, standing behind her helmsman.

The sensor officer, a young ensign, stared intently on her holographic screen as she began running passive sensor sweeps, flipping through a few different streams of data coming in. "I'm not detecting any ships on passive," she said quietly. "There is fading trails from a ship's engines near Edolus, but otherwise nothing artificial. Switching to active," she said.

"Ready tactical," Alicia said, wanting to be ready in case raiders or something else appeared. She gripped the top of the headrest of Joker's seat, causing him to glance up at her.

"Hey, easy there. No need to tear up my chair just because some giant warship might pop out and try to vaporize us. It's uncomfortable as it is," he said. Alicia didn't seem to care, waiting for a response from the sensor officer.

After several tense moments, the ensign finally spoke up. "No contacts at all Commander. I'm not detecting any ships, powered or unpowered, friend or foe. System is clear."

Alicia nodded at that, leaning over to Joker. "Set course for Edolus and assume standard orbit. Sensor station, I want sweeps of the planet for any sign of a _Manticore_ -class corvette ship or anything else unusual. I'll be in the hanger."

She just started to leave the helm when the ship comms signaled. " _Conn, communications. Picking up a distress beacon._ "

Alicia activated the nearest intercom. "Communications, conn. What do you have exactly?"

" _It's an automated distress beacon. Not Alliance military, it looks like a civilian frequency and beacon, from a merchant vessel. No ID though. We already tried standard distress responses, and received no reply at all._ "

Alicia frowned at that, before leaning back to the intercom. "Analyze the signal to try and determine its authenticity and origin," she ordered, cutting the intercom off and continuing on her way to the hanger deck.

The _Normandy_ surged towards the planet Edolus, a brownish-yellow orb suspended in space. As the ship drew closer to the planet, the sensor officer began her work, scanning the planet for any sign of anomalies or the missing Alliance recon corvette. Joker deftly slipped the ship into orbit, bringing the ship into the ideal pattern for scanner sweeps. It didn't take long for them to find something.

In the hanger bay, the ground team was fitting the last of their armor in place, stocking up on thermal clips. Kaidan was making sure he had plenty of medi-gel, while Ashley was standing near the Mako's diagnostic station. Looking up at Alicia she gave a thumbs up. "Ready to go here!" She said.

Alicia grinned as she moved over to the Mako while typing a few commands into her omni-tool. "Alright, just need final word from the sensor team, and-."

" _Hanger, conn. Sensors have detected metallic wreckage on the surface. Communications reports the distress beacon is located in the same area as the wreckage._ "

Alicia quickly activated her suits radio and connected to the conn. "Confirmed. Looks like we're making a ground drop. Navigation, find us a place to drop. Helm, set up for a fast drop."

" _Helm? So Impersonal. I thought we were friends here Shepard?_ " Joker quipped, as Alicia rolled her eyes, ending the communications.

Turning to her ground crew, the Spectre grinned in expectation. "Alright team, looks like we're making a ground drop. Ashley, you're manning the gun. Naruto, you get shotgun," she said. "Everyone else, you're in the 'trunk'."

Tali glanced curiously at the human members of the ground crew. "Trunk?" She asked them.

Ashley grinned as she finished sealing up her armor with her helmet breather. "She's talking about the troop compartment. On Earth, old fossil fuel cars had a storage compartment in the rear of the vehicle called a trunk," she said. "Let's just hope Wrex can fit back there."

Wrex just grunted, as Alicia moved to the Mako, which had three entrance and exit hatches. One was located near the front, which the driver and co-driver/engineer could use to enter the vehicle. A second hatch was right next to the gunner's seat below the turret. A third hatch was in the rear, where the troops or other passengers could enter the vehicle.

Now the ground team clambered into the vehicle, the alien members and Kaidan moving to the back hatch and entering the troop compartment, which had room for about six to eight soldiers. The four of them still had a little bit of a tight fit, because Wrex's bulk meant he basically took up the majority of one side of the seating, while the rest of them had to sit in the opposite seats. Ashley clambered into the gunner's seat, while first Naruto and then Alicia slipped into the two front seats in the cockpit.

Alicia, securing herself into the driver's seat, began powering up the vehicle as the rest of the crew members in the hanger bay began clearing out, moving to the engineering or crew deck. "Everyone strap yourselves in," she ordered, looking over her shoulder. "And you all better be good kids and not argue, or so help me I swear I'll turn this Mako around."

The alien crew members looked quizzically at him, while the human members snickered. Then the comm crackled to life. " _Joker to Mako, we are two minutes from drop point. Prepare for hanger opening,_ " the helmsman reported.

Alicia leaned forward, activated her comm. "Normandy 1 to Normandy Actual, copy that. Mako is powered and ready to drop," she said, grinning as she tapped out some commands on the console.

The _Normandy_ , finishing its atmospheric entry, continued a now more leveled descent, approaching the general area of the distress beacon and the metallic wreckage. Dropping to roughly two thousand feet, the ship leveled out, as the hanger bay began to open. The air began to blast into the hanger bay like a hurricane, starting to catch anything not secured and toss it around. Alicia grinned as she gripped the controls of the Mako, while Naruto glanced over at her.

"Hey umm…sis? You're not going to trash this Mako like you did the last one, right?" He asked a bit nervously, causing everyone to start and their eyes to lock on Alicia, who looked over at her brother, a pout evident in her eyes.

"That's not fair. I had to roll that Mako to avoid the rockets being fired at us," she said, causing almost everyone else's eyes to bug out a bit. Only Wrex seemed unfazed, beyond a soft grumbling chuckle.

" _Thirty seconds to drop!_ " Joker reported over the comm, as Alicia grinned, typing one final command on the Mako's console. She grinned and started to gun the engine, as loud music began to play over interior speakers.

Garrus looked up in surprise at the speakers, then forward to Alicia. "What is that?!"

"Thunderstruck, by ACDC! Take it in!" Alicia laughed out loud, before a buzzer sounded through the hanger. With a whoop she gunned the engine. The Mako shot forward, flying right out of the hanger and instantly began dropping nose first towards the ground as the _Normandy_ pulled away.

Tali immediately began screaming in surprise and fear, as Garrus let out a yell of surprise. Kaidan had closed his eyes and gripped the harness securing him, while both Ashley and Wrex were letting out whoops of enjoyment. Naruto meanwhile had his eyes closed, mumbling rapidly under his breath in his native language the whole time, as the rock music washed over them. Alicia just grinned as she ignited the thrusters under the nose to level it out, before firing bursts from the thrusters underneath the entire vehicle's chassis. At the same time, the onboard computer detected the drop in altitude and quickly activated the mass effect field generator onboard the vehicle, lightening the mass of the vehicle. Combined with the thrusters, it allowed for a controlled descent, with one long burst at the end from the thrusters allowing the suspension to absorb the shock of the six wheels landing on the ground. The vehicle bounced a couple times, before Alicia braked, and the vehicle rolled to a stop.

The human Spectre grinned as she turned in her seat, looking back at the others. "Whoo, is that fun or what?!" She said, pumped from the thrill of the drop.

Garrus was just staring at her, his helmet hiding the gaping look of shock. Tali was huddled over, hugging her head and groaning. Wrex just grunted in approval, smirking behind his own helmet. Kaidan just sat there as quietly as he could, eyes still closed as he slowly released the grip he had on his harness.

Ashley just grinned, looking at Alicia. "Heck yeah commander!" She said enthusiastically, giving her a thumbs up. A sentiment not shared by Naruto.

"Let's just get going," Naruto groaned softly, hoping that was the worst part of their adventure here.

Alicia just grinned at her brother. "Still got that weak stomach?" She teased, typing in a couple commands and bringing up the vehicle's radar with a nav-point to the distress beacon and wreckage. Nodding as she saw the blip indicating their destination, she looked to Naruto. "Call it in brother," she said, gunning the engine and surging the Mako forward.

Naruto just grunted as he leaned forward, activating the comm.. "This is Normandy 2-1 to Normandy Actual, you copy?"

" _Reading you loud and clear Normandy 2-1. Safe landing?_ " Navigator Pressly asked over the comm.

"Confirmed Normandy Actual. We are on approach to the target area. Will report in once we've arrived. Normandy 2-1 out," Naruto reported before closing the communication line.

The Mako continued forward, the suspension mostly absorbing the uneven terrain, except for the occasional large bump of dirt or rock. Then the Mako would jostle and bounce off those inclines, knocking the occupants around a bit, especially at the speeds Alicia was driving. This caused more than a few yelps and groans from the less enthusiastic riders.

Tali groaned softly, trying to lower the power of her auditory receptors of her helmet. "Commander, what is with this music? It's a bit loud," she said.

"Commanding officer's prerogative. Plus its rock music, you have to listen to it loudly," Alicia said with a grin. "Really helps you get the true feel of it!"

Garrus shook his helmeted head a bit at that. "I heard some Alliance soldiers were eccentric. Guess I needed to see it to believe it," he dryly said, only to yelp as one particularly nasty bump had the vehicle almost flying for a moment, and his head almost hitting the ceiling.

Naruto watched out the forward window as the terrain went past them, with occasional clouds of sand or small rocks whipping past or hitting the kinetic barriers around the vehicle. Glancing at the radar, he saw they were drawing closer to the nav-point as they approached a gentle incline. "We're almost there. Two hundred meters and closing," he said.

Alicia nodded as she began driving up the incline, turning off the music. "Get ready everyone. Williams, get ready on the cannon there," she ordered.

The ground crew grew more tense, hands to weapons as they prepared for whatever was on the other side of the incline. Soon enough they reached the top, and leveled off, only for Alicia to brake suddenly. She frowned as she surveyed the area ahead of them.

In front of them was a gentle decline, leading to a large open depression in the ground surrounded on two other sides by somewhat steeper slopes, with a small rocky mountain rearing up roughly where one of those steeper slopes met the decline they were at the top of. The depression seemed largely flat, though there were small bumps and mounds of earth, as well as dips and holes here and there. What drew Alicia and Naruto's attention though was the metal apparatus almost in the middle of the depression. Or more specifically, the burning wreckage and still forms strewn around the apparatus.

Alicia frowned as she slowly opened the driver hatch and half emerged from it, using her helmet's optical zoom to survey the wreckage. "…looks like we found the _Centaur_ ," she said grimly. "Everyone out of the Mako."

The ground crew began to pile out, with Alicia moving closer to the edge to get a slightly better look. Naruto joined her, bringing out his Viper sniper rifle and beginning to look over the wreckage.

"Definitely an Alliance ship, or what's left of one," he remarked quietly. "Looks like she put down close to the beacon, and the marines went to investigate the beacon. Then something hit them hard and fast enough to take out the ship. Though I've never seen weapons fire do that to a ship before," he muttered, as he looked over the wreckage from their position.

Wrex grunted as he stomped up next to them. "We aren't going to figure it out from here, are we?" He asked.

Alicia looked at the whole scene again, before contacting the _Normandy_. "Normandy 1 to Normandy Actual, you copy?"

After a few moments, Pressly spoke up. " _Normandy Actual copies, Normandy 1._ "

"I need confirmation that there aren't any other ships or energy signatures down here with us," Alicia ordered, glancing at the scene before her as her mind analyzed the details.

A minute later, the comm buzzed again. " _Confirmed Normandy 1. Nothing down there except some organic life, and barely any of that as it is._ "

"Copy Normandy Actual, over and out," Alicia said, cutting off the comm. Turning to her ground team, she looked them over, before speaking. "Captain, I want you to take Garrus and Tali up onto the mountain there. You'll be providing over watch for us, while Tali watches your back," she ordered, pointing to the trio, then rounding to Kaidan. " Lieutenant, you're shotgun now. Sergeant, stay on the gun. Wrex, you're our backup when we get out," she said. "Move out."

Naruto nodded as he turned to Garrus and Tali, his Viper still drawn. "Vakarian, bring up the rear. Tali, you're between us," he said, turning and starting to double time it towards the mountain, with the two aliens behind him. The rest of the team got back into the Mako, waiting for their over watch team to get into position.

Naruto grunted as he maneuvered around a somewhat jagged rock surface, before nodding as they arrived in a sort of half cave depression on the mountain. They would be fairly well hidden here, but still have fairly good line of sight over the whole area. "Garrus, take position over there, watch the right flank. I'll watch the left flank. Tali, you stay between us and keep an eye out for anything that might try to sneak up on us," he ordered, while using his omni-tool to send a signal to Alicia. Settling himself into position and bringing up his sniper rifle, he began scanning for any movement while the Mako began to roll forward.

Alicia carefully controlled their descent down the decline, switching her gaze between the radar and the actual view out the window. As they reached the bottom, she sped up a bit, rolling forward towards the wreckage as Ashley rotated the turret slowly, looking in all directions for any sudden emergence of enemies. But all was silent as they approached the wreckage. As they drew nearer, Alicia grew more somber and grimmer as she identified a couple of the bodies strewn about as Alliance soldiers, due to their armor. The apparatus also became more apparent as some type of beacon, though it was not a standard distress beacon.

She stopped the vehicle near the wreckage and the beacon, before checking the radar. There was still no sign of anything on it, so she gave a quiet nod. "Disembark. We're going to investigate. Williams, stay on the gun," she ordered, unbuckling and getting out of the vehicle. Wrex and Kaidan both followed her out, while Ashley remained on the cannon.

Outside, Alicia moved to one of the corpses and slowly rolled it over, only to gag horribly at the sight of half melted armor and flesh underneath. "Well there goes my desire to eat or sleep for the next decade," she muttered, as Kaidan came over and began analyzing the body.

"This wasn't done by weapons," he said. "Not any fire I've seen either. Looks like some type of organic acid."

Alicia frowned at that, looking over to where another body was laid out, little more than an upper torso with a missing arm. "Acid didn't do that," she said, pointing to the second body.

"And it certainly didn't do that," Wrex grunted, pointing to the wreckage of the ship. "Something big and nasty flipped the ship over, and then tore right through its belly. Ripped it in half. Probably caused an overload in the engine core that blew up the rear half," he said, indicating the scattered wreckage that semi resembled the engine nacelles and rear hull of an Alliance ship. The krogan stomped over to a piece of ship wreckage and picked it up, looking it over. "Looks like more acid strikes as well against the hull here…pretty sure you're not going to like the answer to what killed the ship and her crew."

Before Alicia could answer, the comm buzzed before Ashley's voiced echoed loudly in their receivers. "Radar has contact! Two hundred yards from the southeast and closing fast! It's a big contact!"

Alicia whirled, Lancer drawn and ready to fire as she looked in the direction of the contact, only to see nothing at first. But as her optics zoomed in, she saw shifting, billowing sand being thrown up into the air. It took her a few moments, before she groaned. "Oh you have to be fucking kidding me!"

"Eeyup. Thresher maw," Wrex grumbled, sounding excited. "Hope you're ready for the fight of your life Shepard!"

Alicia just turned back to the Mako. "We are not engaging that thing on foot! Back in the Mako!" She shouted, rushing to the vehicle.

"There's no way I'm riding inside that tin can while there's a maw out here to kill!" Wrex roared out, pulling out his Revenant light machine gun. Alicia growled angrily as she turned back to the krogan.

"Fine, then use your mag boots to stick to the roof of the Mako and shoot that thing. But hurry up!" She ordered, quickly climbing into the Mako after Kaidan. Wrex hesitated for one moment, then shrugged and quickly climbed up on top of the vehicle, activating the magnetic clamps in the boots of his armor and sticking to the roof of the Mako.

Naruto and Garrus, both hearing the whole commotion on their own radios, quickly trained their sniper rifles on the approaching thresher maw. "Commander, we're watching the bogey. We'll provide support fire from here," Naruto reported, as Tali nervously shifted. He quickly glanced in her direction. "Tali, I need you to keep look out for anything else. This could be the perfect distraction for someone or something to sneak up on us. Keep an eye out," he ordered. Tali nodded, and shifted, trying not to focus on what was unfolding below.

On the ground, Alicia quickly gunned the engine, rolling out and away from the wreckage, right as a massive column of sand shot up, momentarily shielding the creature that caused it. But soon enough the sand settled and they saw the thresher maw in all its horrifying glory. It was a massive creature, extending some thirty or forty above the ground. It was a massive snake like creature, with two scythe like arms connected to its body below its head. It let out a massive roar, its beak like mouth opening as it shrieked at them, as acid dripped down from its open aperture.

Immediately both Wrex and Ashley opened up, Ashley using the co-axial machine gun while Wrex fired his Revenant at the maw. Two loud cracks erupted through the air, as Garrus and Naruto, from their position, began to fire with their sniper rifles as well.

The rounds peppered the thresher maw's scaly hide, but were little more than pinpricks on the massive creature. It simply roared angrily, glaring down at the Mako, before diving forward towards it. Alicia turned quickly, avoiding the maw as it smashed into the ground, and quickly began burrowing.

"Ashley, use the cannon! That's the best bet for doing serious damage to that son of a bitch!" Alicia shouted back to the gunner's position.

Wrex, now crouching and steadying himself with one hand, growled as he saw the maw's movements. "Right side, coming in fast Shepard!" He shouted.

Alicia spun the wheel, the Mako almost rolling as it turned to the right, the right wheels coming up off the ground. The maw popped out of the ground, roaring as it did so, only to receive a magnetically accelerated, mass enhanced 155mm shell right in the side of the head. The shell actually managed to affect it, staggering the maw as spurt of blood shot out of the wound. Screeching in anger and agony, the maw turned and reared back, spitting a glob of acid towards the Mako. Alicia barely turned out of the way, the acid striking the ground and leaving a smoking puddle.

Naruto grunted as he fired again, the recoil hitting against his shoulder, before he adjusted his aim. "Garrus, go for the eyes. If we blind it, we can maybe drive it off," Naruto said, trying to hit the eyes of the maw. The turian marksman nodded, adjusting his aim with his Mantis. Tali just shifted nervously, frustrated that she couldn't do anything, but also glad they weren't down there.

Wrex let out a loud roar as he unleashed another spray of rounds at the thresher maw, aiming for the wounded portion. "I'm right here you giant maggot! I am Urdnot Wrex, and I'll feast on your flesh when this is over!" He kept shouting over the roar of his gun, the Mako's machine gun, and the maw itself.

Alicia grimaced as she hit a bump, the Mako flying and her losing temporary control over it. Kaidan next to her grimaced as he checked the readouts. "Suspension took slight damage on that last one! Be careful on the bumps!"

"Yeah, I'll be sure to worry about that when a giant worm isn't trying to eat us!" She shouted back, spinning the wheel to bring them around again. The maw had turned in its hole to face them, and fired another blast of acid at them. Alicia turned to one side, barely dodging it. Her eyes widened though as she realized she had driven closer to the Maw in the process. It let out a roar, swinging one of its scythe like arms down at the vehicle.

Alicia barely managed to turn away in time, the massive limb smashing into the ground where they would have been, actually grazing against the vehicles kinetic barrier. Alicia gunned the engine and drove away as quickly as possible, as another sniper round smashed into the head of the maw near its eye. It turned in the direction of the shot, causing a second shot aimed at it to miss its eye and hit its mouth.

Ashley, lining up the sights, put a second cannon shell into the maw's head, blowing part of its mouth off this time and causing it to roar in even more agony as Wrex let out a bloodthirsty cheer. The maw dove down again, burrowing into the sand. Alicia turned her attention to her radar, which was still picking the thresher maw up. It was moving away, but began circling, now more wary of the prey that had injured it. But it wasn't ready to retreat either, intent on still destroying them.

It suddenly charged towards them, remaining underground but still throwing up sand as it shot towards them. Alicia threw the Mako into another turn to avoid it, but this time it followed, erupting almost underneath the vehicle. The Mako was thrown in the air; sparks erupting from circuitry as the trio inside were tossed about, only held in their seats by their harnesses. Wrex however was not as lucky, forced to ditch before he was smashed into the ground as the Mako hit the ground and rolled. Thankfully, Alicia was able to hit the thrusters, stopping the roll and landing the Mako back on its wheels.

"Damage report!" Alicia shouted, quickly bringing the radar back up to find the thresher maw circling around them.

Kaidan, barely back in his seat, quickly began to run diagnostics. "Kinetic barrier shield is down to forty-three percent! Wheels one, four, and five have suffered significant damage. Turret rotation malfunction, down by twenty-two percent on rotation power!" He reported.

Ashley grunted as she was trying to rotate the turret, but it was slowed. "He's right commander, the turret isn't moving as fast. I won't be able to track this thing through any fancy maneuvers until we can repair it!" She shouted.

"We won't be able to do that with this thing still on us," Alicia said, doing her best to drive away with the Mako in its damaged state. That is until a comm call stopped her.

" _Commander, Wrex is on foot now! The maw is homing in on him!_ " Naruto reported from his spot. Alicia cursed as she did her best to look out the window of the Mako.

"I can't see him! Williams?!" She yelled out.

Ashley, who had managed to turn the turret around, gaped at what she was seeing. Wrex, back on his feet, was roaring out his challenge as he stormed towards the thresher maw, his LMG rapidly barking out rounds into the scaly hide of the creature. It roared back, firing acid at him, but Wrex threw himself to the side, somehow rolling despite his bulk and coming up, firing again until the thermal clip overheated. Throwing the weapon aside, he roared as he drew his shotgun, shrouding himself in his biotics as he rushed towards the maw.

The maw prepared to lunge forward, only for another pair of cracks to rip through the air. One of the sniper rounds hit the face near the eye, but the second one hit dead on, causing a spurt of blood and organic fluid to shoot out of the now ruined eye socket. The thresher maw screamed again in pain, rearing back, as Wrex let out a roar, using a biotic charge to shoot into the air, smashing onto the head of the reared back creature. Grabbing onto the creature, he placed his shotgun right against its head and began pumping rounds into the things head, the point blank shots ripping away scales and muscle tissue.

The thresher maw threw its head side to side, roaring still as it tried to dislodge the source of pain on its head, only for another large spurt of blood to shoot out of the thresher maw, this time right around where its 'neck' would be. A cannon round from the Mako went right through, shooting out the other side.

The thresher maw fell over, a wet sucking noise emanating from the hole through its body as it let out more pitiful screeches and roars. Wrex, having jumped off as it fell, growled as he grabbed a piece of wreckage from the ruined Alliance ship. Shrouding it and his arms in biotics, he let out a massive roar and threw it right at the thresher maw. Thrown with both the force of the krogan's strength and the enhanced biotic power, the shard of metal turned into a five foot long spear, which pierced right through the thresher maw's skull. The creature let out one final death cry and then slumped over, dead.

Wrex panted heavily as he stood there, before throwing his head back and letting out a long victory roar, arms spread. Rushing to the deceased monster, he climbed on top of it and let out another victory roar, standing on top of the 'trophy'. Alicia, having wheeled the damaged Mako over, slowly climbed out with Kaidan and Ashley, as Garrus, Naruto, and Tali began to make their way over to them. Wrex let out satisfied, hearty laughs as he dropped back to the ground. "That was a fight, Shepard! A battle worthy of the greatest warriors and a trophy of the greatest hunters!" He shouted, slapping the hide of the monster.

Alicia just let out a sigh, shaking slightly as the adrenaline in her system started to wear off slightly. "I'll take your word for it," she said, leaning over slightly. After a few moments, she stood up straight, watching as the over watch trio double timed over. The whole ground crew now gathered together, staring at the corpse in fear and awe.

"I-I can't believe you killed it," Tali said. "I didn't think anything less than a starship could bring something this big down."

"You just need to know how to hit the weak spot," Wrex bragged, his smirk hidden by his helmet as he patted near the head of the maw. "Put enough force behind a pointy piece of metal, it'll go through anything."

"Course you couldn't have gotten on his head to weaken it if not for that lucky eye shot," Ashley said, smirking herself behind her helmet. "Who made that shot by the way?"

Naruto nodded to Garrus. "He got the lucky hit. Damn thing was throwing its head around too much, hard to track," he said.

Garrus just nodded, still holding his sniper rifle. "Just need to get a feel for its speed and reaction time," he said.

Alicia decided to get things back on track before anything else happened. "Alright, we can congratulate each other after the job's done. Williams, I want you, Garrus, and Kaidan to start working on repairing the Mako. Captain, you and Tali come with me to check the beacon. Wrex, you…keep admiring that thresher maw," she ordered, turning towards the beacon that had dragged them into all this.

Tali and Naruto quickly followed her, the quarian moving forward as they reached it. "What do you need Commander?" She asked, doing her best to be professional.

"I want to know who put this damn thing here, and I want it disabled if you can. If not, we'll blow the fucking thing to hell," Alicia said, feeling angry as she realized these sailors and marines had been lured here to be killed by the creature they had just nearly been killed by, and had barely killed. She fully intended to find who had done this, and leave them to die at the hands of a maw if she could swing it.

Tali quickly moved to an access panel, scanning it before popping it open and connecting to the systems inside. She frowned as she looked over her omni-tool as data began to scroll along it. "I'm not sure I can get anything from this, Commander. It is human made, but it is not a distress beacon. It's a transmission beacon, used to transmit various signals or frequencies. Someone modified it with a masking frequency that makes it appear like a distress beacon, while it transmits a distress frequency for human merchant ships. Otherwise, I have no idea who put this here, and why, except to lure ships to their doom."

"Doom is right. They landed right in the middle of a thresher maw nest," Naruto said, looking at the wreckage of the _Centaur_. "They landed, and the recon marines came out to check out the beacon. The maw was drawn in by the ship's energy emissions, attacked it first, and then finished off the marines around it."

Alicia just nodded, staring at the wreckage. "Well at least we avenged them," she said, glancing at the maw carcass. "Karmic justice, that part of their ship was what killed it."

Tali finished her analysis, before typing in a few commands. The beacon let out a whine as it powered down, as Tali turned to Alicia. "All done here Commander. I got what data I could, but it wasn't much," she said. "Sorry I couldn't do more."

"Don't be sorry Tali," Alicia said, turning to her. "You did everything that could be done right now. I'll call this in and they'll send a ship to clear up the mess," she said. "Captain, why don't you get Wrex over there to help you start getting the crew's remains, and we'll at least line them up for pick up. Tali, help out the others on the Mako."

"Yes ma'am," Naruto said, turning and going to get Wrex. Tali headed off towards the Mako, while Alicia sighed and brought up her comm, calling the _Normandy_.

"Normandy Actual, this is Normandy 1. Situation resolved. Bring the ship down at my coordinates, as the Mako took damage," she ordered. "And send an initial report to 72nd Scout Flotilla. _SSV Centaur_ lost with all hands. I'll submit a full report after we're back on board."

Cutting her comm, she let out a sigh as she moved to help Naruto and Wrex with the remains that they could find.

Within twenty minutes, the _Normandy_ was landed near the thresher maw nest, with one of the ships' marines now driving the Mako up back up into the hanger deck as the ground team was onboard, removing weapons and armor and storing them away.

Alicia, as she finished storing her weapons, nodded to the ground team. "Good work everyone. Team meeting in five hours, so take it easy until then," she said, as she started to remove her armor, only to look up as the ship intercom went off.

" _Commander Shepard, Commodore Kahoku wants you to report to him immediately,_ " Pressly reported over the intercom.

She went over to the intercom, activating it. "Understood," she said, turning it off and getting onto the elevator. A few minutes later she was entering her quarters, sitting at her personal terminal and connecting to the headquarters of the 72nd Scout Flotilla, attached to the Alliance Fifth Fleet.

" _Commander Shepard, I understand that you found the Centaur, but reported her lost,_ " Commodore Kahoku started, getting straight to the point.

"Yes sir. We discovered the remains of the _Centaur_ on Edolus. The ship was investigating a distress beacon, but it turned out to be a false beacon. It looks like someone set it up there to lure ships to its location. Said location however was a maw nest, and the ship and all hands onboard were wiped out by a thresher maw. We killed the maw and deactivated the beacon though," she reported.

" _Is there any information on who placed the beacon?_ " Kahoku asked, an edge of sadness and anger in his voice as he did his best to maintain his composure.

"No sir. The beacon is intact though, so there might be a chance to track down the ones who did this," Alicia stated.

" _Very well then. I'll have a recovery ship sent to retrieve the ship and her crew, as well as the beacon. I want you to forward all data you managed to recover to me immediately. We'll begin an immediate investigation into who might be responsible_ ," he ordered.

Alicia gave a quiet nod, even if Kahoku couldn't see it. "Understood sir. We'll keep an ear out here for any information as well, and forward anything we discover to you immediately."

" _Thank you commander. That's all, 72_ _nd_ _Scout Flotilla out._ "

As the communication ended, Alicia sat back in her chair, feeling weariness wash over her. It wasn't easy, seeing a whole ship and her crew go down. Especially when the reason they died was because someone set a trap for them, and knowing those people were still out there. She closed her eyes, slouching in the chair and leaning her head back, relaxing for a few moments before she went and finished removing her armor.

Her relaxation was interrupted though by a chime from her door, signaling someone wanted to enter. Shaking her head, she slowly sat up. "Come in," she said, as she reached back to pull her hair out of the bun she had to put it in to wear her helmet.

The doors opened, and she glanced up, her eyes widening as Liara entered, her outfit now cleaned and patched up. The asari archeologist looked well, the exhaustion and the pain she had previously displayed no longer visible on her face. Though Alicia thought there was a still a glint of that pain in her eyes. But Liara carried herself well, as she approached.

"Commander, thank you for letting me speak with you," she said, her voice now more calm as well. "I wanted to apologize for my reaction when you questioned me, I was-," she started, only to be stopped by Alicia raising a hand.

"Don't apologize for that. You reacted how anyone would in your situation. So don't go feeling sorry for reacting how a normal person should," Alicia said, before standing and rotating the seat so it faced the bed in the room. "Please, sit," she said, moving to the bed and slowly dropping onto it.

Liara slowly sat down, watching the human commander slowly removing pieces of armor plating from the mesh under-armor. "Even still, I am sorry I was not able to give you more information. If there is anything you need to ask me, please do so. I will be happy to offer any help or information I can," she said.

Alicia studied her for a few moments, before pulling off her gauntlets. "Thank you for that offer. If I may ask…you seem rather calm and collected after our last talk," she said.

"It was difficult for me to handle the emotions I was feeling at the time. I had gone through a rather trying experience, and was operating on little sleep or energy. Once I had time to rest, I was able to confront what happened and…'deal with it', as you humans might say," Liara said, shifting in her seat. "I am still dealing with what happened, but I have come to terms with it enough that I am not overwhelmed by it all. Asari often are forced to face trying events and emotions through their lives. So it is important for my race to learn how to handle emotions quickly, or else we will spend centuries wallowing in dark emotions and painful memories."

Alicia blinked at that. "Huh…well you learn new things every day," she said, before pulling off the boots of her armor. "Well at the moment I don't think I have any questions. I actually covered most of what I needed to know immediately. And to be honest, I'm kind of exhausted from killing a thresher maw."

Liara's eyes widened. "A-A thresher maw? Oh my, that is…you killed a thresher maw?"

"Actually, my krogan team member did, but the whole team contributed for the most part," Alicia said. "However, if you wouldn't mind waiting till after I've cleaned up and rested a bit, we can talk some more."

"Of course commander. I will be happy to wait," Liara said, starting to stand up. "I actually would like to make a request though, if you don't mind?" When Alicia nodded for her to continue, Liara took a deep breath. "If I am being pursued by a former Spectre operative with geth and…my own mother serving him, I would request sanctuary on your ship. I feel this may be the only safe place for me, and I wish to offer any and all of my services to pay you back for saving me and allowing me to stay here."

Alicia blinked in surprise at that. "…well…I would need to check some information first, before I could consider that request. But let me get that info, and then we can talk about it," she said.

Liara nodded in understanding. "Of course. Thank you for considering my request commander. I eagerly await our future discussion," she said, before her eyes lit up a bit. "If you don't mind me asking though…your brother…wouldn't happen to be Naruto Uzumaki, would he?" She asked, a hint of eagerness creeping into her voice.

The human commander tilted her head a bit to the side, watching her. "He is, yes," she said a bit slowly.

"I-if you don't mind, I would really like to talk to him when he has a few free moments," she said, an excited light in her eyes and her voice sounding more vibrant.

Alicia decided at that moment that she liked this side of the young asari archeologist the most so far. Chuckling a bit, she nodded at that. "I'll see if he feels up to a discussion," she said.

"Thank you," Liara said, bowing her head. "I'll talk to you later then, Commander Shepard."

"Please, just call me Shepard, or Alicia. The commander bit is better suited for more 'official' times," Alicia said with a smile. Liara just smiled back and nodded, before leaving the cabin. Alicia just let out a sigh as she pulled off her last piece of armor, and slumped back onto her bed, laying splayed on it. She closed her eyes, a small smile on her face, feeling slightly better after seeing that Liara was recovering from her ordeal. Letting out a sigh, she just lay there, letting her exhaustion fully sweep over her.

* * *

 **And there we go. New chapter done. I hope you all enjoyed this, especially the thresher maw fight.**

 **I know some people might go 'well why did they work together so well against the thresher maw', after I mentioned how the team is not a well oiled machine yet. The truth is that the battle against the thresher maw didn't entirely require a lot of coordination between the team members, thanks to the Mako. Rest assured, the problem of their teamwork/coordination will still be there, with Alicia starting to overcome it next chapter.**

 **So, again I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. And I'll see you next time!**

 **Thanks go out again to a7xfanatic11, for his work in betaing and advising me on all matters Mass Effect related.**

 **Till next chapter!**

 **1\. I know that both the game and the wikia have Kahoku being an admiral. When speaking to my dad, who has knowledge of military ranks and command hierarchy, about the general information on this particular mission, he told me that most likely Kahoku would be a commander of a scout flotilla and that his rank would be a Rear Admiral Lower Half, which is also known more commonly as a Commodore in the Navy to help distinguish the rank from the Rear Admiral Upper Half, more commonly referred to as simply a Rear Admiral. As I've mentioned before, I am attempting to portray the military of the Alliance in a more realistic manner to honor our service personnel, past and present, for their service and sacrifice.**


	13. Training Begins

**Well now that we have all the squad members present, the mission and bonding can really begin! I'm glad you all seemed to enjoy the combat against the thresher maw, as well as everyone's interactions so far. Let us just hope I can continue to keep this momentum up.**

 **Anyways, not much else to talk about here, so let's get this ball rolling!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Naruto. They are the property of Bioware and Masashi Kishimoto respectively. This is a non-profit fan made work of fiction. Please support the official releases.

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **Training Begins**

Alicia stepped out of the elevator onto the hanger deck of the _Normandy_ , turning and heading down the hallway to the engine room of the ship. The warship was currently heading back to the Citadel, to allow repair teams to work on the damaged Mako and to give Alicia and her ground team a chance to pick up supplies that they had requisitioned since Edolus. It was mostly a few small things, some weapon mod programs and armor enhancements, as well as a few personal items some of the members wanted. Wrex in particular wanted to pick up some type of special organic wax for one of his 'trophies' taken from the thresher maw corpse, a large fang he intended to turn into some type of necklace or drinking vessel. Wrex, having made the killing blow against the maw, had 'generously' donated the maw corpse to the Alliance for research purposes after claiming the fang, ten cubic feet of scaly hide, and forty pounds of flesh and meat, all for this own personal use.

She chuckled at the thought of Wrex drinking from the fang like some type of reptilian Viking warrior, before glancing up as she entered the engine room. Her gaze automatically locked on the slowly spinning, glowing Tantalus drive core, as it was always eye grabbing, before she looked to where Chief Engineer Adams stood, looking over a report one of the other engineers had given him. "Lieutenant Adams," she said, drawing his attention.

He turned, quickly coming to attention and saluting. "Commander, do you need something?" He asked as she returned the salute.

"I was just coming down to check on the status of the ship. Haven't had a chance to do so in person yet," she said, nodding to the drive core. "How is she treating you?"

"I've been on almost every class of starship in the Alliance Navy, and I can say none of them compare to this ship," Adams said, turning to where they could see the drive core. "The Tantalus drive core is almost providing more power for the _Normandy_ then we know what to do with. I've had to work with Joker to balance out the drive engines and maneuvering thrusters because they were almost overpowered in their output. And the IES stealth system is a marvel of engineering. We're completely immune to everything except a visual scan, at least until the heat sinks need to be discharged. Though we can't stealth when we go to FTL or a Relay jump. Our emissions are too high for the heat sinks to handle. Overall, I'd say we're ready to handle almost any situation," he reported to her.

Alicia nodded at that, before glancing around the engineering crew on duty. Most of them were at their stations, monitoring the ship systems and adjusting power flow throughout the ship. Some however were in the middle of routine maintenance of some of the systems. Her eyes landed on the hooded, shorter figure standing at one of the consoles. "And how is she turning out?" She asked Adams while nodding to Tali.

Adams glanced over at the quarian girl, before chuckling. "I have to say that she is a huge benefit to the engineering crew. She practically knows the basic systems of the ship as well as me by now, and she's already getting an understanding of some of the more advanced systems. Give her a couple weeks and she'll probably know this ship better than the people who designed her. You've got a definite eye for talent," he said.

Alicia nodded as she heard that. "She was eager to help out on the ship. You'd think going into life or death situations would be enough, but not for her," she said. "Any problems between her and the crew?"

The chief engineer shook his head. "None so far. Most of the engineering crew kept their distance at first, but they're starting to warm up to her. She's a bit of a shy one though, isn't she?"

"Don't worry, Naruto and I will sort that out," Alicia told him. "Anything else to report?"

"Nothing at the moment, Commander. I'll have an official ship status report by twenty-three hundred hours," he said, saluting her. Alicia returned the salute before moving over to Tali.

The quarian was mumbling to herself under her breath as she worked at a terminal, running diagnostics on the secondary power couplings to the sensor systems. Alicia stopped a few feet from her, grinning a bit. "Ship status, Miss Zorah," she said in an official sounding tone.

Tali let out a yelp and whirled around at that. "Commander Shepard! Please don't startle me like that," she said, placing a hand on her chest.

"I was just checking on the newest member of the engineering crew," Alicia said to her with a smile. "How are you settling in here?"

"I'm utterly amazed at this ship," she said, her voice filled with awe and excitement. "She is incredible. That drive core is the most advance I've ever seen! And everything is so new." She glanced around in amazement. "Only a couple weeks ago, I was making jury-rigged patch jobs on a tug from last century, and now I'm on the most advanced ship in the galaxy."

Alicia chuckled at her excitement. "Well this ship is brand new, the first of her kind. She's a prototype stealth reconnaissance frigate. But I'm not sure I'd call her the most advance. The asari still have a few decades of technical evolution on all of us."

Tali just gave a small shrug. "From my perspective, this ship might as well be the pinnacle of advanced space flight technology. In the Migrant Fleet, there isn't a ship that hasn't been in service for less than twenty years. Some of our ships date back to our exodus from Rannoch," she said, her voice breaking ever so slightly at the mention of the quarian home world.

Alicia's eyes widened as she heard that. "You have ships that are three hundred years old?" She asked.

"Older than that. They were in service before our ancestors were forced to flee our home system," Tali said. "We've done our best to keep them in working condition, but with constant wear and tear, we've had to cannibalize parts from some of them to keep others working. Add in how hard some colonies work to keep the Migrant Fleet away and thus how hard it is for us to make large purchases of parts and equipment, we're often forced to scrounge for any ship we can find, either for parts or to replace ships we're losing to old age and mechanical failures."

By the time she had finished speaking, Tali's previous excitement had been replaced by a more somber mood, and she was glancing down slightly. Alicia gently placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at her. "Well I'll talk to the Alliance about ensuring members of the Migrant Fleet are able to make large scale purchases through credits or trade with our colonies. I think it would be good business for everyone."

Tali smiled at that, her eyes indicating her pleasure. "Thank you Commander. My people would greatly appreciate that," she said, before glancing at her console. "I really should get back to my work, unless you need anything from me?"

The red-haired vanguard shook her head. "No, nothing right now. But there's a meeting for the ground team at eighteen-hundred hours, in the communications room. So, I'll see you then."

Tali nodded at that, turning back to her work, as Alicia smiled while heading off now to return to her other business.

In the crew mess, Ashley was enjoying a ration of military grade ice cream, savoring the taste of strawberry and vanilla mixed together. The crew mess was largely empty save for a couple other crew members sitting not that far off who had given her nods and greetings when they had passed by to sit down earlier. Ashley had to admit it was a nice change of pace, serving on a posting where everyone didn't automatically mistrust her for the actions of her grandfather. Apparently both Naruto and Alicia's confidence in her pulled a lot of weight with the crew, as well as her own actions so far.

Her good mood vanished as a figure sat across from her, and she sat up straighter. "Vakarian," she greeted stiffly, noting he didn't have food or a drink, meaning he clearly intended to talk. Seeing him clad in regular clothing, she was a bit surprised at how slim he appeared outside his armor, since the chest part made him look bulkier then he actually was.

Garrus frowned ever so slightly, his mandibles twitching. "Sergeant Williams, have I done something to offend you?" He asked her, deciding to get things out in the open. "You've done your best to avoid me, you become cold and silent when I speak or am near. What did I do to anger you?"

Ashley just stared at him, before dropping her spoon in the empty dish that her ice cream had been in and sat back in her chair. "…you've done nothing, Garrus. I don't have a problem with you. I have a problem with turians in general," she said, arms crossed. "Your people's actions caused my family a lot of suffering and humiliation for almost thirty years now."

Garrus blinked in confusion, trying to think, before his eyes widened. "Shanxi," he whispered quietly, making the connection based on the time reference.

"Yes. Shanxi. My grandfather was General Howard Williams, the commanding officer of the garrison. The only military leader in Alliance history to surrender to an invading force," Ashley said, her voice growing bitter. "I think you guess what happened afterwards."

"But you can't blame every turian for that. The turian commander who attacked your people might have been acting overzealously, but-," he started to say, only to be interrupted.

"Your people opened fire on mine without warning or provocation," Ashley snapped, eyes narrowed. "Hundreds of humans, military and civilian alike, died because your people, without provocation, started a war with mine. And since then, we've had to fight tooth and nail just to get an APOLOGY from your people, let alone proper reparations for the damage done and lives lost."

"But my people weren't the ones who hurt your family. Your people were the ones to do that," Garrus said to her.

Ashley glared at him, before standing up. "You're right, they are. But they wouldn't have to if your people had maybe decided to speak before shooting," she said, picking up her dishes. "We're done talking, Vakarian."

She moved away, ignoring his sputtering protests as he tried to stop her. Seeing her walk away, stiff shouldered, he growled and slammed a fist on the table, causing the other Alliance crew members to glance over at him. He shook his head, turning away while rubbing his fist.

After his talk with Alicia, before the mission to Edolus, he believed that he needed to prove himself to Alicia. While landing that blinding shot on the thresher maw had given him some praise and respect, he felt he needed to work on better connecting with the rest of the ground team. He already had at least cordial relations with Naruto and Kaidan, and he knew it was highly unlikely that anything but actions, and a lot of them, would help him with Wrex. That left Tali and Ashley.

With regards to Tali, he would approach her and apologize for his earlier comments that he had made out of hand. It was too easy, though not right, to blame the quarian people for the actions of the geth, simply because they had made the geth. He needed to remember though that Tali's grandparents most likely hadn't even been alive when the geth rebelled, and so there was nothing he could blame her for with regards to the geth. He'd try to sit down and talk with her to fix things on that front. But as he had just learned from his interactions with Ashley, it would not be as easy as that with the human sergeant. He would have to overcome her mistrust and dislike of his people before he could even work on gaining her trust.

He was approaching the elevator when he nearly ran into Kaidan coming down from the command deck. The human sentinel glanced up at him, and nodded. "Everything alright Garrus?" He asked, noticing him rubbing his hand.

"Oh, yes sir. Just a little disagreement between me and Sergeant Williams," Garrus said, moving to attention. Kaidan chuckled as he saw that, shaking his head a bit.

"You don't need to be formal with me Garrus. You're not Alliance military. Call me Kaidan or Alenko," Kaidan said with a smile.

Garrus shifted a bit, relaxing. "Umm, alright si-I mean Kaidan," he said a bit sheepishly.

Kaidan nodded to him, before frowning a bit. "So what was this disagreement? Should I be checking medical?" He asked, only for Garrus to shake his head furiously.

"N-No sir! Just a verbal disagreement is all," he said quickly, only for Kaidan to raise an eyebrow at him. "I-I mean Kaidan. Sorry. Turian military training is hard to shake," he said.

Kaidan nodded quietly at that. "No worries Garrus. But with regards to Ashley, would it help if I talked to her?"

"No, this is something I need to work out with her. I don't want to cause problems between you and the others," Garrus stated. "I don't want to be a weak link on the team."

"I'd hardly call you that, but alright Garrus," Kaidan said. "I'll see you for the briefing then."

The turian nodded to him, as they continued on their separate ways.

A few hours later, the ground team was gathering in the communications/briefing room, with most of them glancing curiously at the asari also present. Liara was fidgeting a bit at their looks, since she had little to no interaction with most of them due to being in the sickbay for most of her time on the _Normandy_ thus far. But Alicia had requested she be present as well.

Said Spectre entered the briefing room, data pad in hand as she nodded to them. "Alright, two main points to this meeting," she said. "We're heading back to the Citadel to get the Mako repaired and checked out. She took some nasty damage against that maw, and as it turned out we broke the suspension on two of the wheels and the rotation motors on the turret were damaged as well. We can't fully repair them here. I'm also going to see about finding a facility for us to train at, as we need to work on team drills and fire coordination," she said, looking them all over. "I don't know how long we'll be there, but until we get any new information relevant to our search, we have little else to do."

As they all nodded, or in Wrex's case simply grunted, she continued. "The second bit of business concerns Dr. T'Soni. She not only requested sanctuary on the ship, but also offered her aid to our mission as well. I have decided to grant her sanctuary and accept her help, as recent information has confirmed that she is not a double agent or plant working for Saren. I hope you are not offended by me checking to make sure," she said, directing that last part to the young asari.

"Of course not, Commander. I understand your need to ensure the safety of your ship, crew, and mission," Liara said. "And I wish to thank you for granting me sanctuary."

Alicia nodded at that, smiling at her. "So, now that you're part of the team, let's figure out how you'll fit into our merry band here. Do you have any combat experience?"

Liara shook her head at that, looking slightly ashamed. "I'm afraid not. While I am proficient in defending myself with biotics, I have no real combat experience, beyond what happened on Therum," she said softly. "I do have first aid training and some basic firearm training. Both were part of the preparation for going on the archeological expeditions in the more 'wild' parts of the galaxy."

The human Spectre nodded quietly at that. "Right. When we get to the Citadel, I would like to get you outfitted in some armor and a weapon you feel comfortable using. But for now, I think it is better if you act in an advisory or support role. We'll keep you out of combat, though I would like for you to take part in any combat training we do, to help you become more acclimated for combat."

"Of course Commander Shepard. I will endeavor to help in any way I can," Liara said. "I of course am also willing to divulge any information I can that will aid in your mission."

"Do you have any idea why Saren might have gone after you?" Kaidan asked her, leaning forward a bit. "Perhaps something you found out about the Protheans?"

"Or maybe she's leverage for Saren to use against her mother," Wrex grunted, making Liara flinch slightly at that, while Alicia shook her head slightly.

"Saren's going after something connected to the Protheans. I think that's why he wanted Dr. T'Soni," she said, looking to Liara.

"Please, call me Liara. I do not think I have enough experience or age to warrant being called Dr. T'Soni," the asari said with a slightest smile. "I'm afraid I can't think of why Saren wanted me specifically. As I mentioned to Commander Shepard, I'm far too young for my work to be taken seriously by most scientists and historians. I am ashamed to admit it, but I'm only one hundred and six years old," she said, sounding embarrassed at that.

Ashley snorted at that, a slight grin on her face. "Damn. I hope I look that good when I'm your age," she teased, earning a barely stifled snort from Tali and a rumbling chuckle from Wrex, as Liara flushed a bit.

"Maybe you'll be lucky and age gracefully, like me," Wrex rumbled, waving at his scarred and slightly craggy reptilian face, making Ashley blanch at that.

Alicia raised her hands, standing up straight. "Hey, c'mon guys. Let's lay off teasing the new member until she's more settled in and used to everything," she said, looking to Liara. "And trust me Dr. T'Soni-I mean Liara. We're more than willing to listen to any information you can give us. You might know something the other 'experts' would overlook."

Liara barely blushed at Alicia's words, before nodding. "Well…there is something I've been working on proving," she said slowly. "I've been studying everything I could find about Protheans for almost three decades now. Of course you all know that there isn't much left behind by them. Their civilization seemed to reach its pinnacle and then just…vanish. They disappeared, with almost no trace of what happened to them, or barely enough to let us even know they existed. What I've discovered though, what I've theorized and been trying to prove…is that they were not the first race to suffer such a fate," she said.

Garrus leaned forward at that, looking surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Well…some of the texts and data I've gathered from some Protheans ruins and artifacts have hinted at or indicated that they discovered the ruins and remnants of another powerful civilization, which they then built their civilization on top of. I've done some digging through multiple historical sources, and come across references to ruins even more ancient then the Protheans. Most of these ruins were simply catalogued as belonging to Protheans from an earlier era, but I've done my own research, and noticed discrepancies in design and appearance between these ruins and Prothean ones that are too large to simply be a separation of time. It is a separation of culture and ideology. What's even more fascinating was the discovery of a Prothean data track some fifteen hundred years ago, in which a Prothean researcher claimed to have discovered texts from this precursor race that mentioned their own discoveries of another race before them. It may seem like conjecture, because there is practically no evidence of the race the Protheans found, let alone a race before them. But if my findings are correct, it would indicate that there seems to be some type of cycle, where ancient races forge vast space faring empires, that suddenly seem to collapse at the height of their power, and vanish with little to no trace of their existence left behind," Liara said, her voice growing excited and animated the more she spoke on this subject, her eyes dancing with excitement and passion.

Her words immediately caused everyone to glance at each other, and then at Alicia, who had grown more serious as she heard Liara's words. "You believe that there are other races before the Protheans…who disappeared like them?" She asked, slowly standing up straight.

"Y-Yes. I realize it sounds foolhardy, but-," Liara started to say, looking a bit downcast at everyone's reactions, until Alicia interrupted her.

"I hardly think it's foolhardy. In fact…you are probably closer to the truth then you realize," Alicia said, turning and bringing up an image of the Prothean Beacon from Eden Prime. "You ever see one of these before?" She asked.

Liara stood up, moving closer to examine the image. "It is definitely Prothean, but I'm not sure I've seen anything like it. What is it?" She asked curiously, glancing at the red-haired human whose gaze was fixed on the image.

"It was called a beacon by the scientist team that discovered it on Eden Prime. It's why Saren attacked the colony there, in order to interface with it. I had the unfortunate experience to unwillingly be interfaced with it as well," Alicia said quietly. "It implanted an image in my head, a vision of organics being slaughtered by machines. At the time I wasn't sure what I was seeing, but thanks to Tali, we figured out exactly what it was."

She turned to Liara, who was surprised by how serious and slightly dark Alicia's eyes had become as the Spectre continued. "Fifty-thousand years ago, the Protheans were attacked by a cybernetic race of AI known as the Reapers, who wiped them out. The beacon downloaded the images of their destruction into my mind. And now Saren is trying to find these Reapers."

Liara frowned at that, glancing down a bit in thought. "I have never heard of anything like this before. Where do you get this information from, concerning these 'Reapers'?" She asked Alicia in a slightly doubtful tone.

"As I said, thanks to Tali. She brought us information not only on Saren's betrayal but also on the Reapers, at least as much as the geth know about them. According to the geth, the Reapers were what slaughtered the Protheans. And if your theory is correct…it is reasonable to assume then that the Reapers have been doing this for quite some time," Alicia responded.

Liara blinked at that, before turning and murmuring to herself, crossing one arm across her chest and supporting the elbow of her other arm in that hand, resting her chin on her other hand as she paced in thought. "Could it be…it would make sense…if they tried to erase their presence to ensure no one was ready…y-yes, yes! That would make sense!" Liara said, suddenly whirling around and looking at Alicia. "If these Reapers are the ones behind the Protheans disappearance, it would be logical to assume they're behind the other races disappearances as well," she said. "Most likely they attack each civilization to gain something. Perhaps new technology, resources, information. Then they do their best to eradicate any sign of their presence, as well as the majority of that era's dominant civilization, in order to obscure their actions and leave the next era's race or races vulnerable to attack!" She said, pounding a fist into her open palm. "This could explain everything about why the Protheans so suddenly vanished! And why there are hints of evidence of previous civilizations!"

She looked excitedly at Alicia, only to blush a bit at the bemused look on Alicia's face, as well as several of the others present. "F-Forgive me for my outburst," she said, trying to calm herself down, before looking at Alicia again. "You mentioned it gave you a vision?"

"Sort of," Alicia said, rubbing the back of her head. "The beacon was damaged in some way, maybe before Saren used it, maybe because he used it first. The vision it gave me was garbled, barely made any sense at all. I couldn't really make heads or tails of it."

"Would you be willing to let me see it?" Liara asked her. "I could meld with you and see if I could make more sense of the vision."

Alicia frowned slightly at that, a little unsure. "I'm not sure what more sense can be made from it right now. And I'd hate to put you through what this vision did to me. I'm still having trouble sleeping at night," she said with a hint of concern in her voice.

"I understand, but perhaps my knowledge could offer some insight into this vision?" Liara asked. "At worst, the two of us can stay up late talking about the night terrors we have," she added in a weak joking tone, obviously not used to being humorous.

Alicia just smiled at that, before nodding. "Guess it can't hurt…I hope," she said, taking a deep breath and standing up straight.

Ashley frowned though, glancing over at Naruto with a questioning glance. She was a bit wary still of Liara, thinking she could possibly still be trying to pull a fast one on them, and the last thing they needed was someone connected to Saren rooting around in their commanding officer's head. She noticed though that Naruto appeared calm, and so she bit down her concerns, for now at least. Tali meanwhile leaned forward, curious about what would happen, as she had only heard of asari melds before and never seen one in action.

Liara took a deep breath as she approached the commander, gently touching her arm. "Please relax, Commander," she said, closing her eyes, before opening them. Her eyes had become black orbs as she reached mentally reached out, connecting the pulses of her nervous system with Alicia's, synching with her.

Immediately, she found herself connecting to Alicia's mind, though she kept the link to a minimum. This was going to be a very basic meld, a sharing of information and little else. She found herself curious at the lack of resistance or bewilderment on Alicia's part. " _You've done this before, haven't you?_ "

" _I'm no stranger to this, no_ ,"Alicia mentally responded with amusement coursing across their bond. " _There have been a few asari who enjoyed 'melding' with me, if you know what I mean._ "

Liara blushed at the implications, before moving on to what she had entered the human commander's mind for. Finding the vision, she hesitated for the slightest second, before delving into it.

In the physical world, the rest of the ground team watched as Liara's face grew more pained, the barest hint of horror appearing around her closed eyes and mouth. Naruto frowned, wondering if things were really that bad. His sister had confided that the vision left her greatly disturbed, but seeing Liara's reactions to experiencing it gave him a great idea of what Alicia was dealing with.

Soon enough the asari pulled away, gasping in surprise and panting slightly as her eyes returned to their normal blue, and she looked at Alicia, who was grimacing a bit. The human vanguard shook her head, clearing the lingering images away before looking up at Liara. "Sorry about that."

"Do not apologize, Commander. I had…some inkling what I was getting into. Though I did not expect it to be that…intense," Liara stated, taking in deep breaths as she calmed herself down. "Thank you for showing me that vision. You are right though, it is very hard to make anything out at all, beyond visions of…death and destruction," she said, her voice breaking a bit. "I would like some time to perhaps meditate on what I saw, and go through my research notes. If that is alright with you?"

"Go ahead. I think that about wraps things up anyways, unless anyone has anything they want to bring up?" Alicia asked, looking around. Seeing no one moving to speak, she nodded. "Then dismissed."

The various ground team members began to disperse, leaving the room, with Liara hesitating a bit, her eyes dancing over Naruto with excitement before she left. Naruto, noting her look, glanced at Alicia in slight confusion. She simply chuckled, shaking her head lightly. "You should expect her to assault you with a ton of questions. She wants to know everything you remember about your time before you were frozen," she warned him.

Naruto stiffened slightly at that, before letting out a sigh and rubbing his forehead. "Guess I should expect that, given her interest in the Protheans. Though I doubt she'll enjoy what answers I might give," he said, before looking up at her. "But how are you doing? I imagine seeing that vision in your mind again wasn't pleasant."

"No, not really. But this vision is something that Saren wanted. It is connected to his goal of bringing back the Reapers, whatever the hell they are exactly. So, I need to grin and bear it, until we've dealt with all this and Saren is either rotting in jail or in the ground. And then I can visit a shrink, preferably an asari one, to get my head looked at," Alicia said, her usual grin returning as she spoke the last part.

Naruto just rolled his eyes at that, before looking at her, concern returning. "Still, take it easy, okay? If you're having trouble handling this vision-."

"Then I'll come right to my little brother and open up to him," Alicia said, her grin softening as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "It's good you're here, 'Ruto. I think I'd have a harder time handling this on my own," she added, using one of her nicknames for him.

Naruto chuckled as he patted her arm. "Well, now that we've got that out of the way, guess I need to steel myself for dealing with an inquisitive asari. Should be fun."

"Mmm, you lucky, lucky dog you," Alicia teased him. "Having an asari so interested in you? Why can't I be the one from fifty thousand years ago with all the information she'd be interested in?"

Naruto shook his head as he started to head off, leaving her in the comm room alone, chuckling to herself. Though the chuckles died away after he was gone, as she leaned forward, placing her face into hands and tiredly rubbing. Reliving the vision definitely was not something she had enjoyed doing. She wasn't sure what was worse, the death and destruction, or the vagueness of it all. If the message was clearer, if she had some sort of context to it, maybe she could handle it better, rationalize what she saw. Standing up straight and dropping her hands to her side, she took a deep breath to calm herself. For now, she'd do exactly as she told Naruto. She'd grin and bear it, until all was said and done. Squaring her shoulders and putting on her 'commander' face, she strode confidently from the room, to await the ship's arrival at the Citadel.

 _Attican Beta Cluster, Theseus System_

Saren felt the thump of his shuttle, a non-descript turian craft, docking in the hanger of Zhu's Hope, the docking port connected to the human colony on Feros. The planet was one that was covered in the ruins of an ancient Prothean city, which a human corporation known as Exo-Geni had funded a colonization effort to populate it. The colonists had appropriated a few of the massive towering structures the Protheans had left behind, turning them into housing facilities and other necessary structures.

Saren couldn't help but feel sickened at the thought. These Prothean ruins, housing who knows what ancient secrets, had been given to this inferior race that was plundering them from profit and greed. They were like a plague, consuming resources and knowledge with no thought for anything but their own wants. Still though, this worthless colony potentially was going to supply him with what he needed to move his plans forward, and finally find the Conduit.

As the final docking procedures had finished, he stood up, looking around the interior of the shuttle. Instead of the normal guard of geth drones he would have arrived with, there were several asari present, each armed with a variety of weapons and clad in form fitting light armor that most likely would have drawn the gaze of those unable to command their base desires. Each one of these asari was a commando, the soldiers and warriors of the Asari Republics. Unlike most other races who formed organized militaries, the asari instead utilized volunteer groups of guerilla style fighters, who gathered together from each village, town, city, colony, and nation in asari space to defend their homes or conduct missions for the government. Highly adaptable and flexible in combat, and extremely lethal with centuries of combat experience under their belts.

These particular commandoes were those loyal to Matriarch Benezia, and who now were loyal to himself as well. He had requested their presence to prevent a panic amongst the inhabitants of this dirtball of a colony, as he was sure the geth would do so. He could only smirk as he watched them prepare to disembark, securing and sealing their helmets and checking their weapons, knowing that each of them would loyally, maybe even fanatically die for him if necessary.

As the hatch opened, they saw a small group of humans moving towards them, causing Saren to sneer at the sight of them, before schooling his features and stepping out onto the dock, the asari falling in behind him. He stopped not too far from his shuttle, as the humans did the same opposite of him. The one in the lead, a slightly older looking man with very short hair, looked over the group in some confusion and apprehension, before looking to Saren. "Can we help you?"

"Yes, I believe you can," Saren said, turning on the charisma with a disarming smile, even as his eyes began to glow again. "Please take me to your master. I have a proposition I'd like to make."

"You mean someone from Exo-Geni? Why did you come here when their headquarters are-," the human began to said, only for Saren to raise his hand to stop him.

"You misunderstand me. I mean take me to your true leader…take me to the Thorian," he said, his grin widening at the sudden look of comprehension and fear in the man's eyes.

 _Citadel_

As the _Normandy_ finished its approach, and slid into docking berth 442, the now designated docking berth for the ship, Navigator Pressly activated the ship-wide comm. "Now hear this. Now hear this. Liberty call protocols in effect for crew. Check duty rosters for liberty rotation. Those on liberty call will observe proper protocols while off ship. That is all."

As the crew members began chatting about their plans on the Citadel, Alicia was already moving to the airlock with her ground team. "Now remember, just because you're part of the ground team doesn't mean I can get you out of jail if you start a brawl. I'm still the newbie Spectre, so I doubt they'll appreciate me using my influence to do that. So, play nice. Especially you Wrex," she said to the krogan, who just grunted in annoyance at her as they entered the airlock and exited the ship.

They were brought up short, however, at the other end of the gangway to the ship by the sight of a man clad in the dress uniform of an Alliance admiral, with a hard set face. Almost immediately Ashley drew to attention, saluting. "Admiral on deck!"

Kaidan, Naruto, and Alicia all immediately saluted, as did Garrus out of reflex. That earned a somewhat mocking chuckle from Wrex as the non-Alliance members of the ground team moved to the side, Garrus looking chagrined as he joined them. The admiral in question returned the salute, his eyes moving over the _Normandy_ , then the ground team, and finally resting on Alicia.

"At ease. Rear Admiral Mikhailovich, commanding officer of the 63rd Scout Flotilla, 5th fleet," he said, his voice betraying nothing save for the barest hint of annoyance.

"This is an honor sir. What can I do for you?" Alicia asked, now moving to the at ease position.

Mikhailovich studied her for a few seconds, before speaking. "I'm here to see the ship that was slated for my flotilla, until the Council got their claws on both her and her commanding officer," he said.

Alicia did her best not to frown at his words. "Sir, I was just following orders from up the chain of command. I was jointly ordered by the Council and Alliance command, and the _Normandy_ was placed under my command since she was the best ship for the job."

The admiral waved a hand, dismissing her words. "I don't blame you for the politician's choices. They see an opportunity and they take it. However, I do begrudge the fact that they gave you this overdesigned piece of tin," he said, looking at the ship with a slight look of contempt.

Alicia's temper flared slightly at that, her eyes narrowing. "She is a fine ship sir. She has already served us well in our mission, and I have no doubt she'll continue to do the Alliance proud."

Mikhailovich simply waved his hand again, dismissing her words. "Please, Commander. This ship is a farce, a ploy to play nice with the turians. She would never stand up to actual combat. Our appropriations committee had to divert billions of credits in order to construct this publicity stunt. We could have had a heavy cruiser instead."

Behind them, both Tali and Garrus bristled at his comments, the former because she hated hearing someone put down an incredible ship, especially one she was serving on and was helping to maintain; the latter was slightly insulted at this man's disregard and insults for something that was a symbol of the slowly growing bridge in turian and human relations. Garrus was actually starting to step forward to say something, when a look from Naruto stilled him.

The movement however drew the admiral's gaze, and his eyes hardened slightly at the sight of Alicia's ground crew. "And who is this with you?" He asked.

"My ground team sir," Alicia said, slightly wary of what may come next. "My team's second in command Captain Shepard, Lieutenant Alenko, and Gunnery Sergeant Williams. Over here, we have Garrus Vakarian, former turian military and C-Sec officer. Next to him is Dr. Liara T'Soni, Prothean expert and archeologist. Beside her is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, my team's geth specialist and combat engineer. And last, but certainly not least, is Urdnot Wrex, my assault combat specialist,"

The admiral looked over each of them, before turning to Alicia. "There are alien nationals onboard this ship? Do you realize-?"

"Each of them has signed a full non-disclosure agreement, with assurances that if they break it, they can face anything from high fines to life sentences in an Alliance jail, depending on the importance of any information they release. What's more though, they are exactly the team I need for my mission, sir. They are unorthodox, adaptable, each bringing new perspective and experience to the team, which is what is needed to stop an unknown enemy in relatively unknown terrain, _sir_ ," Alicia said, her voice growing hard and serious at this man who was about to insult her crew members like he had insulted her ship.

Admiral Mikhailovitch sputtered slightly at the barest tones of disrespect in Alicia's voice and was about to reprimand her for it, when he noticed the slight look of discomfort on Kaidan and Ashley's faces, the barest look of approval on Naruto's, and the slightest movement from the krogan as he leaned forward, looking more menacing as he did so. The admiral straightened, deciding to proceed onwards. "I am here to inspect your ship. The _Normandy_ is an Alliance ship, and I'm here to ensure she is up to standards," he said.

Alicia nodded at that. "I'll be happy to escort you sir," she said, only for him to shake his head.

"No need, I'll see to it myself. Wait here," he said, moving past her and heading to the ship.

As soon as he was onboard, Wrex let out a chuckle. "I knew there was something I liked about you, Shepard," he said.

"Skipper, you sure it's wise to antagonize him? He is an admiral," Ashley said worriedly, only for Alicia to wave her concerns aside.

"He's a pompous asshole who thinks his rank gives him the right to push people around. I can barely put up with him insulting my ship, but no one insults my team without getting at least a verbal lashing," she said.

"B-But he's an admiral! Can you really show such disrespect?" Tali asked, aghast. Alicia raised an eyebrow at her reaction, shrugging slightly.

"I'll give him the respect due to the uniform and rank. I won't give _him_ any more than that, unless he earns it," she responded, as Tali just kept staring in surprise. Alicia just nodded to them. "You all can go ahead; I'll wait here for the admiral and see what he says."

"Fine by me. But if he starts blowing hot air again, let him know that I handle your complaints department," Wrex said with an ominous chuckle as he began stomping off towards the elevator. Ashley, Kaidan, and Garrus all followed, leaving Naruto, Tali, and Liara behind.

About twenty minutes later, the airlock opened, and out walked the admiral, who approached them. Naruto and Alicia saluted again, and he did the same, before speaking. "I am not happy with what I saw, Commander. Your crew is up to par, though your pilot obviously could use more discipline. But that ship is even worse than I thought. Who came up with that CIC design? It is completely inefficient," he said.

"It was a modified turian design, sir. Captain Anderson explained to me that the turians utilize a similar design to help increase the visibility of the commanding officer, help ensure his orders are more easily distinguished during combat operations. I'm assuming the Alliance members on the design team wanted to test how effective such a command style worked under combat circumstances," Alicia replied.

"While I can understand that, they should have done so in a lab or simulator, not on a frontline warship. It could be disastrous," Mihailovitch said.

"Actually sir, there would be no way to gauge the true effectiveness in a lab. Those taking part in the test would never move with the speed and purpose as they would in the middle of an actual combat situation. The results would be faulty," Alicia responded, making the admiral pause.

"I suppose that is true," he grudgingly admitted, only to shake his head. "But that drive core onboard. One hundred and twenty billion credits and who knows how much eezo just to make the ship move undetected? We could have three drive cores for _Agincourt_ -class frigates at equivalent cost in credits and resources. What good does it do for a ship to remain undetected for only a few hours? It is useless," he practically ranted.

"Our stealth drive allows us to effectively infiltrate enemy systems, gather data on enemy positions, strengths, and resources, and then withdraw without being detected, allowing for larger forces to then effectively strike and disable the enemy with minimal time and effort. What's more, the _Normandy_ would easily allow us to drop infiltrate teams and Special Forces without detection, then return to extract them. It would be a major step forward in equaling or surpassing other species' intelligence and Special Forces, such as the salarian STG," Alicia reasoned, before deciding to add a subtle jab. "Isn't that the whole point of scout flotillas?"

Mihailovitch sputtered a bit at that, before conceding. "That is true, and I suppose it would be of _limited_ use in such a role," he said. "I will admit your reasoning does put some things into a new perspective regarding your ship, but I still am not entirely convinced that it isn't a waste of resources and manpower. I AM convinced, however, that at least in your hands, it will be used to the best of its abilities. I suppose my report will not be as negative as I believed it to be."

Alicia nodded at that as she and Naruto saluted. He returned the salute and stalked off towards the elevator, leaving the two of them to drop the salutes.

Tali still looked uncomfortable at everything that had just happened, shifting a bit nervously. "T-This won't cause any problems, will it?" She asked nervously.

"I shouldn't think so. He might raise a stink, but nothing will come from it until after Saren's been dealt with. And by then, they might just sweep it all under the rug anyways," Alicia said, turning to look at her. "You okay?" She asked.

"I could never imagine doing that," Tali said softly. "My father is one of the five admirals of the Migrant Fleet. I always saw him being treated with respect."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. "Your people have only five admirals? You have thousands of ships; it's hard to imagine there are only five admirals."

As Alicia activated the elevator and they stepped on, Tali continued. "Well there are only five admirals because they form one of the two governing bodies of the quarian people, and are charged with governing the entire fleet."

All three of them blinked in surprise at that. "So your father is one of the leading members of your people? Wow. Does that mean I rescued quarian royalty?" Naruto asked her with a teasing grin, to help her calm down.

Tali, initially thinking he was serious, saw his expression and smiled behind her mask, knowing he was trying to help her feel more comfortable. She decided to try and give back as good as she caught. "Yes you did. And if you aren't careful, I'll see you imprisoned for disrespect to quarian nobility," she said in as much of a snooty tone as she could muster.

Naruto's grin widened, as did Alicia's. "Nicely done," she said, as Liara raised an eyebrow.

"This is quite a strange conversation," the asari said, looking between them.

Alicia could only chuckle at that. "You have no idea," she added, only to blink as her omni-tool signaled. Activating it, she found an alert for an incoming communication. Accepting it, she responded. "This is Commander Shepard."

" _Commander, its Captain Anderson. We just received an alert that you docked. Could you please head to the human embassy? We need to speak to you,_ " spoke the former commanding officer of the _Normandy_.

"Understood sir. On my way," Alicia said, closing the omni-tool and turned to the others. "Unfortunately, duty-calls. Naruto, can you make sure Liara is properly outfitted?"

The vulzan marine captain gave a nod, as the elevator slowed, and then stopped, the door opening and allowing the passengers to disembark. Alicia immediately turned, heading to a nearby door that would take her towards the Presidium, while Naruto nodded to the skycar services nearby. "This way ladies," he said.

Liara eagerly followed, thinking now would be the best time to ask Naruto some questions. "Ummm, you're…Captain Shepard, correct? That is your rank?" She asked.

"It is, but you can call me Naruto right now. Probably easier," Naruto said as he signaled a cab, typing in the destination he wanted to go on the summoning console.

"Yes, right. Naruto. Is that your vulzan name, or is it a human name?" Liara asked him eagerly.

Naruto chuckled a bit at that. "It's the roughest translation of my vulzan name, yes. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, though I have taken the Shepard surname. In my native tongue, my name is pronounced _Duhike Iqimuba_. You should have heard Alicia try to pronounce that after I learned it and told her about it," he said, slipping into his native tongue when pronouncing his name.

Both Tali and Liara blinked as they tried to process hearing his name in his species' tongue. There had been some guttural tones when he spoke, almost like growls, that had made pronunciation more complex. Liara shook her head after a few seconds, quickly typing that down. "I see, I see. And your people shared the galaxy with the Protheans?"

Naruto's smile disappeared, and he stiffened a bit as the cab arrived, while he registered her question and tried to consider how to answer. "That…is one way of putting it, I suppose," he said finally, as the door opened and he indicated they should get in.

Tali clambered into the back as Liara frowned, following her. "What do you mean by that, exactly?" She asked him.

Naruto sighed as he got into the front of the cab, not exactly wanting to answer her question and thus relive the memories he had seen of his ancestors who had been alive during the Prothean's arrival. Finally, unable to think of a reason without being flat out rude, he spoke. "The Protheans arrived in orbit of my species original home-world, a slowly dying, relatively barren planet, approximately seven hundred years before my birth, if I'm following my ancestor's memories correctly," he said. "They decided that the vulzan had developed enough to be 'uplifted' into the galaxy, to become part of the 'glorious Prothean Empire'."

Liara blinked in confusion as she heard his words, as his last sentence had been spoken in a sarcastic tone. As the cab lifted off, she couldn't help but continue. "Wasn't that a good thing?" She asked hesitantly.

Naruto sat there for a few moments, absolutely silent, before answering, his tone restrained but with hints of anger. "I don't know. Would you consider it a good thing if your species was told by another that they're going to become part of that people's culture? That they had no choice in the matter, except to be destroyed?" He asked her.

Liara could only gape at his words. "S-Surely…y-you can't be-," she started, only to be cut off by him.

"I don't know if it was standard practice of all Protheans. Maybe my people just drew the short straw when it came to Prothean commanders. But yes, I am telling you that the Protheans arrived and told us we would be part of their Empire. They apparently admired the warrior culture of the vulzan race, watching our clans and different sub-species fight for decades for resources, or their own petty differences. They thought we'd make excellent soldiers for the Empire," he said, his voice drifting, talking almost as if he had personally experienced what happened as he stared out the window as the cab started to take off. "They underestimated my people though…when faced with this new threat we united against them, fighting them tooth and nail to maintain our own freedom."

He shook his head, drawing himself back from the memories as he turned to look at Liara, his face hard. "It took the Protheans five months to finally subdue the vulzan race, even with their ships and advanced technology. But in the end, subdue the vulzans they did. Even though my people had fought them, killed hundreds of Protheans, they still admired our resolve, our capability. They took my people to a new planet where they could flourish, and integrated our warriors into their war machine as shock troops. And that is my people's interactions with the Protheans," he said, before turning away, focusing out the front window again.

Liara could only gape as she tried to comprehend everything she just heard while Tali sat there, watching Naruto with wide eyes, having been the unintended recipient of information she hadn't expected to receive. Liara finally closed her mouth, settling back in her seat while looking slightly downcast, not having expected those answers. It took her several minutes to finally work up the courage to speak again. "I am…sorry, if I drudged up memories that were painful for you."

Naruto let out a soft sigh, slumping slightly in the seat. "Those were probably some of the least painful of the memories I could have told you about," he said quietly. "I understand you are excited and fascinated by the Protheans, but I cannot say that I am too eager to speak about them. My ancestor's memories of them are of conquering warriors who used my people to attack and kill other races who fought back against them. My own memories, what little I have of them, are far worse." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "If you could…give me time, I can try to speak about them more."

"T-Thank you," Liara said, decided to take what she could get, and glad she hadn't upset the vulzan. She sat back in the cab, troubled by what she had just learned, trying to compare that to her notes and her own preconceptions about the Protheans. It was hard to believe that the people she believed to be an enlightened and civilized people could treat another race with such barbarism. She frowned though, wondering if Naruto's memories might not be tainted by the opinion and emotions of not just Naruto himself, but also his ancestors as well. She would need to hear more before she could judge.

Naruto meanwhile was trying to control his breathing, his emotions warring in him as he thought about the Protheans. He hadn't expected how quickly the fear of that young ten-year-old boy woken from the stasis pod and the anger he had built up since then had taken over him, and had almost led to him shouting at the young asari sitting behind him. He closed his eyes, doing his best to settle his emotions, only to blink as he felt a small hand touching his shoulder. He looked back to see Tali leaning forward, shyly placing a hand there, causing him to give her a small grin.

Tali could only nod as she saw that grin, glad that she could give him support and help him, the way he had been doing so for her so far. She gave the barest squeeze before sitting back, trying to settle the nerves that had shot through her, as the skycar winged its way towards its destination.

 _Human embassy_

"Do you realize how much political trouble your stunt on Therum could cost the Alliance?" Udina ranted to Alicia, who simply stood there, letting him rant. Anderson stood nearby, shaking his head as the ambassador continued. "Destroying Prothean ruins like that?! If it wasn't for the fact that most of the details are classified we would have the entire scientific community braying for blood! And the turian Councilor has already been commenting on how he doesn't think you have the subtlety or finesse for this kind of work! Your first mission and you've already started jeopardizing your position!"

Alicia rolled her eyes, before speaking. "Considering how the other two Councilors already agreed with me that my decision was for the best, I hardly think that's accurate, especially since Councilor Sparatus seems intent on belittling my efforts. And considering how that facility was already overrun by geth loyal to Saren, I think the fact that I kept that amount of technology and knowledge out of his hands outweighs the loss of the facility, don't you?"

Udina glared at her, fists planted on his desk. "There are political ramifications to your choices, Shepard. You need to consider how your choices can affect the Alliance's image with the people and governments of the galaxy."

Alicia adopted a mock thoughtful stance. "Gee, you're absolutely right ambassador. Next time I'll think more carefully when I'm trying to ensure the Alliance and humanity isn't wiped out by a mad-man who hates us," she said, before getting serious. "My job isn't to ensure the Alliance's political image looks good. It's to make sure the Alliance and humanity survive. If that means destroying a Prothean ruin, raiding a batarian colony, or streaking across the Presidium bare-ass naked, I'm going to do it. Because politics and image come and go, but life doesn't."

Udina growled, and moved away, while Anderson nodded in approval, deciding to take over. "Well I for one congratulate you on giving Saren a black-eye, especially after Eden Prime. We've already dispatched two squadrons to reclaim the site on Therum, though most likely Saren's geth have pulled out by now. In the meantime, we wanted to apprise you of what we've gathered so far."

Alicia nodded as Anderson called up a holographic map of the Attican Traverse. "Now we haven't been able to pinpoint Saren's exact position, but we have received rumors and unconfirmed sightings of him in several systems across the Traverse, closer towards the border with the Terminus Systems," he said, indicating several highlighted points on the map.

Alicia nodded as she studied the systems in question. "But nothing concrete yet?"

"Not yet. We've been trying to gain access to any connections Saren had that we could use to track him down, but our own intelligence agencies have found little so far, and any other information from other intelligence groups has been…delayed," Anderson said, shaking his head lightly. "We do have reports that might connect Saren to corporations on Noveria, but nothing worth following up yet at this point."

"So basically, nothing at the moment," Alicia said. "I suppose that is sort of good, as I can use that time to train my team. I actually was planning to look into some facilities where we could run team drills and combat simulations."

"Having problems with your 'dream team'?" Udina snarked, jabbing at Alicia's choice of various non-Alliance affiliated specialists for her team over a team of Alliance professionals.

Alicia just raised an eyebrow, before responding. "A few hiccups, to be expected. But with enough time and patience, they'll be a well-oiled machine in no time," she said.

"Actually, I know exactly where you can go," Anderson stated, cutting off anymore jabs between the two. "Pinnacle Station, in the Argos Rho cluster. It was a turian facility, where their spec-ops trained. Now it's a facility open to all Special Forces from various Council races. Turian Blackwatch, salarian STG, asari commandoes, and of course now Alliance Spec-ops troops as well," Anderson stated.

The red haired Spectre nodded as she heard that. "Sounds good then. Guess I know what my next stop is," she said. "Anything else I should know about or you want me to investigate?"

"Nothing except you should be wary on your way out. Khalisah al-Jilani has been on the prowl later, most likely looking to interview you," Anderson said, causing Alicia shudder.

"Great, the yellow journalist leech. Just what I need," she muttered, rubbing her forehead. "I swear, if she uses that 'the public has a right to know' line on me, I will personally shove her face first into the nearest pile of krogan crap I can find."

Anderson chuckled at that imagery. "I think you'd earn a second Star of Terra for that," he said.

Alicia just smiled, before growing slightly somber. "I still wish you were out there with us sir. It doesn't feel right, being in charge of the _Normandy_. I'm a combat operator, not a ship commander," she said quietly.

The aged captain smiled at her. "That might be what you think, but I honestly couldn't think of a better successor or person to take over for me. You have the charisma to get others to follow you, and have the skill, knowledge, and capability to direct others in battle. You're a very capable commander, both on the ground or on a ship," he said.

The female Spectre looked at him, and smiled ever so slightly at him. "Thank you, sir," she said. "I guess I'll just have to prove you right now, won't I?"

"You better. My reputation is on the line," Anderson said jokingly. "Now get out there and show the galaxy why you were chosen to be a Spectre."

"Yes sir!" Alicia said, snapping to attention and saluting him. He returned it, and she smartly turned and marched off, head held high.

 _Pinnacle Station, Three Days Later_

The ground crew of the _Normandy_ , decked out in armor but minus their weapons, stepped into the main entryway of Pinnacle Station. They were greeted by two armed and armored turians, who nodded to them, though they stiffened at the sight of Wrex, who just smirked behind his helmet as they passed through the entranceway.

The main area of the station consisted of a walkway that passed through a lounge area, where they could see a few armored individuals of various races lounging and chatting with each other, some laughing at jokes or playfully taunting each other. There was a café where they could purchase meals and drinks, obviously as part of their relaxation between sessions in the training area. Beyond that was the administration and operation area, where the personnel who oversaw the running and maintenance of the holographic training rooms. Each team of special forces was given times they could utilize the training room, and then would select a location and scenario, before moving to the left where a locker room contained hundreds of training weapons based off of actual combat weapons, as well special additions to the armor to register hits from the holographic weapons of the holographic opponents.

Alicia stopped just inside the lounge area, turning to her squad members. Her eyes landed on the newest member, who seemed to be shifting and trying to adjust her armor. Liara was clad in a set of human armor made for civilian or private sector operators. It was similar to the armor usually worn by asari commandoes, but was reinforced with very light armor plating at certain points, offering higher protection but with less speed and mobility. However, considering Liara did not have the conditioning or training to move and fight in heavier armor, or the skills of a commando that let them make the use of their nearly unarmored combat suits, it seemed like the best choice. The helmet though was asari made, though the sealing components and onboard systems were modified to work with the human made armor. The helmet's overall design greatly resembled the style of helmet used by humans, though it was slightly longer in the back, swooping and tapering into a point, to allow for the asari head crests. The whole armor was painted a soft white with blue trim. The asari archeologist also had chosen a M-3 Predator for her personal sidearm, though Alicia had also offered to help her train and get comfortable with an SMG to give her a little more 'oomph' in the gun department.

She grinned as she moved over to Liara. "Feeling alright?" She asked her. Liara shyly nodded, wincing a bit as she felt the helmet's weight move with her nods and almost throw her off balance. Alicia just smiled and touched her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Just follow our lead," she said, before looking to the others. "Everyone wait here, I'm going to get us signed in," she said.

As her ground crew began to disperse amongst the lounge, Alicia moved towards the administration area. Her eyes immediately locked on a man dressed in an admiral's uniform, with the insignia of a full admiral on his collar. He currently was leaning over a railing, watching the combat below as a team was currently in the middle of a session. He didn't even glance up as Alicia came up to him. "Admiral Ahern?" She asked him, saluting.

The man glanced up at her, revealing a beard and receding hair line, before looking forward again. "Well well, the first human Spectre. What an honor," he said, his voice clearly showing he didn't actually think it was. "What brings you here?"

"I'm here to get some training in with my ground team," Alicia said, the slightest hint of annoyance at the man's casual dismissal of her. "Is there some sort of procedure for signing up to use your facility?"

The admiral waved to the side, where a console sat. "Weekly schedule is posted over there. You're allowed to sign up for at least one hour a session, up to three sessions a day. When it is your turn to utilize the room, just tell Ochren what you want," he said, before growling as there was the flash of an explosion in the training room. "Ochren, I thought we made it clear to those RITA troopers they couldn't use high explosives for every match!"

Sitting at the control console next to the window overlooking the training room was a grayish-brown skinned salarian with brownish-red highlights. Said salarian just growled in annoyance as he looked over his shoulder at Admiral Ahern. "Don't blame me! I told them, but they don't bother listening to me!" He shouted back, looking forward. "They'll overload the holographic imaging systems at this rate. It can't handle processing so many explosions. Course nobody cares what we have to do to keep this simulation working," he muttered under his breath.

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know RITA troopers trained here," she said, referring to the Alliance's second spec-ops forces. The N7's were the Alliance's Multi-Situational Combat Operators, trained to fight in multiple combat situations and scenarios. However, the Alliance had created a second group of Specialized Combat Operators, to handle certain combat situations. The Rapid Insertion Tactical Assault troopers were made up of marines, navy combat personnel, and N7's who specialized in being quickly dropped into combat zones to surgically strike at enemy fortifications, supply outposts, and command posts. Officially known as the 12th Regiment of the 49th Brigade, 1st Division, they were nicknamed 'Rita's Rangers' to honor the founder of the brigade, a then Major Rita Galloway who had led their first operation in 2177 against batarian pirates who had captured an Alliance research outpost. The tactics employed by Rita and the platoon she had assembled allowed them to rapidly deploy near the outpost without being detected or intercepted, before they struck hard and fast, liberating the researchers and extracting out. However, Major Rita was mortally wounded during the action while providing cover fire for two of her soldiers pinned down by the enemy, and was posthumously promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. The troopers who became the first RITA troopers petitioned that their unit be named after her, leading to the creation of both their acronym and their nickname.

Ahern just rolled his eyes. "I wish they weren't here. This squad has to be the most trigger-happy bunch of leathernecks I've ever seen," he muttered, turning to Alicia. "They'd probably extract a VIP by strapping him to a chair sitting on a mountain of explosives. Though given how you have a krogan and turian on your team, I'd expect worse when your group takes the floor," he said, eyeing Alicia's team.

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "Right. Well I'll get my team signed up then, and get out of your hair," he said, eyes widening at the unintended pun.

Ahern looked at her, eyes narrowing slightly. "I can hardly wait," he said, turning back forward.

Alicia gulped slightly, shaking her head at her mistake before moving to the console. Typing a few commands, she found one opening for the current day, and quickly signed her team up, looking over the rest of the week and selecting a few other open times. Finished, she turned back to her team, chuckling a bit as he saw Wrex was helping himself to the café.

"Right, _Normandy_ team on me," she ordered, getting her ground team to join her. "We're signed up for our first session. So rest up and don't get into any trouble. Because at 1600 tonight, training begins," she said with a grin.

* * *

 **Sorry about this chapter being out late. I had trouble writing this one out, and I also got caught up in a new game. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I only recently got Knights of the Old Republic, and have been thoroughly enjoying the game. So it sort of distracted me. Sorry about that.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this fanfic, and that I didn't screw it up too bad. Guess we'll see.**

 **Also, it was recently suggested that I try my hand at creating codex's on things unique to my fanfic, such as the vulzan or the just revealed RITA troopers. I'd like other people's thoughts on such things, if I should or not.**

 **Thanks go out to a7xfanatic11 again for his work at betaing my fanfic and helping me regarding Mass Effect lore and characters.**

 **Till next chapter!**


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